Things Change
by Ajm3665
Summary: Post "Chosen"/during "A Hole in the World" on AtS. Angel needs help with Fred/Illyria but some Scoobies are reluctant, leading to heartbreak and lies that cause Buffy to make drastic decisions that affect everyone, including her own soul. Can she be saved, or will others perish with her? Some Spuffy. Written for prompt by Greaser Kid.
1. Chapter 1: Goodbye Lover

**Warning**: Rated T for now, but may change later to M for darker subject matter.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 1: Goodbye Lover

The office was dark. Not a single light was on, despite Giles having the objective of researching. Books were spread open on the table he was sitting at, and a glass of wine was in his hand. He didn't like this wine, not really, but it was all he had left, for the moment, from a gift given to him a long time ago. All his other drinks were gone.

He took a sip. It wasn't very good. It was actually disgusting. But it helped. That was all that mattered, wasn't it? That the pain was being masked.

Giles couldn't help but think: _When did it all begin? _He thought back to his Ripper days, but that wasn't the answer. The true answer was that it begun with a certain woman named Jenny Calendar. He pictured her in his head. She was beautiful. When she died, things got rough for Rupert Giles. He couldn't allow that to destroy him, though, and he tried to remain strong. Then, years later, Buffy died and he went back to England, alone. Of course, then she came back to life, but Giles couldn't stay around forever, so he left alone again. And then he went back to Sunnydale again. It was really a vicious cycle. The First was a real threat, though, and they had destroyed Sunnydale. Now he and almost everyone else had spread out around the world, either looking after the other Hellmouth or training the new Slayers. He, Dawn, and Buffy were in England and staying together. When they moved back here was really when the drinking started. All the things he'd seen and people he'd lost…it just turned into too much. Drinking was just a temporary way to rid of all the horrid things he'd seen.

He truly did his best to hide the drinking from Buffy and Dawn, though. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if they knew about the problem. Did they even care?

They did, they always would. Giles was just too wrapped in his turmoil to see it.

Right now, Giles was supposed to be researching a new vampire that had recently started to cause a lot of pandemonium. He claimed to be some kind of vampire master, and Giles was looking for anything that would tell him about this new big bad. So far, nothing had come up. Then again, he hadn't been researching for very long.

Before he could take another sip out of his glass, a phone started ringing. He fumbled around the table, flipping over books, searching for that stupid phone.

There! He picked it up and pressed the answer button.

"Hello?" he said, clearing his throat. Luckily, his voice didn't come out in a slur.

"Hello, Mr. Giles?" another English voice came through the phone. Giles recognized the voice, surprisingly. "This is Wesley Wyndam-Pryce."

"Wesley!" Giles spoke. "How very good to hear from you. How can I help you?"

"Well, we have a certain…" There was a heavy sigh. "There's a situation over here," he continued finally. "An astounding woman and friend named Fred Burkle has fallen incredibly ill. We believe she is being taken over by Illyria, a great warrior of the demon age. I-I know the attempts may be futile, but I was wondering if you could possibly help us research any ways that we could save Fred from being taken over by an Old One. I can't seem to find anything in any of my resources." Wesley sounded incredibly distraught.

Giles shook his head slowly, but said nothing. An Old One? How was that even possible? It didn't matter. Wesley wanted help, and that meant Angel wanted help too. All Giles would have to do was get Buffy and Dawn later and they could research and look for anything that-

"What's going on?" a different, distant voice that Giles also recognized asked. It came as quite a shock, especially when he expected never to hear the voice of Spike again because he was dead for good this time. Buffy had specifically said that he burst into flames, basically. And yet Giles just heard his voice on the phone. "Has he said anything? Hand me the bloody phone."

There were some fumbling noises on the other end. Giles thought back to all the memories before Spike's "final" death, how miserable he'd made Buffy. He made her hate her life, pretty much. But then he went and got a soul and, what, that suddenly made everything better? In his opinion: no, it didn't.

They'd gotten along just fine without Spike so far.

"Hello, Giles? This is-"

"William the Bloody," he interrupted. "Better known as Spike. I thought you were dead for good this time?"

"Yeah, well, as it turns out, not everything went as planned. Listen, we could really use your help. I thought maybe if you knew I was alive you'd be a little more interested."

"And Buffy doesn't know?" Giles was concerned.

"Well, no, not yet. You could tell her if you'd like." Spike sounded hesitant. "So about Fred-"

"It's late here," Giles told him. "We'll start researching, if we can. Give me a number and I'll get back to you guys tomorrow."

Once Giles had the number, he hung up. There was just something weird with the fact that Spike was alive. It felt too…wrong. If there was one thing Giles didn't want, it was for Spike to come running back to Buffy. They were happy, content, without him. To keep things the way they were, he couldn't tell Buffy about Spike still being alive.

He took another drink.

* * *

The next morning, Buffy got up and attempted to make some breakfast. Unfortunately, everything she tried to cook winded up being burnt to the point of no return.

Dawn walked into the kitchen and immediately sniffed at the air. "Why do I smell burnt pancakes?"

"Because I burnt the eggs," Buffy admitted. "Then I tried to cook pancakes. It didn't work out so well. I guess I'm just not destined to be a cook. How about some orange juice? I'd offer something to eat, but unfortunately…" She trailed off.

"Sure," Dawn shrugged. "And it's okay. Some women cook, some slay vampires."

Buffy made her way over to the refrigerator, grabbing a glass on the way. As she was pouring some orange juice into the cup, the phone started ringing. Buffy put the orange juice and glass down and picked up the phone that was closest to her on the counter. She recognized the caller ID and grew excited.

"Willow!" she answered ecstatically. It'd only been a few days since she'd heard from her best friend, but it was always great to hear from her. Willow was in South Africa looking after many new Slayers. It sucked immensely for her to be so far away.

"Buffy, hi!" Willow responded just as excitedly.

"How are you doing? Is everything alright?" Buffy asked.

"Everything's fine, Buffy, stop worrying," Willow told her. "In-in fact, that's why I called. I was bored. How goes the search for that new supposed vamp master?"

Buffy groaned. "Nothing yet. But hey, how are things with Kennedy? Have you talked to her yet?"

While they all were going their own ways, even Willow and Kennedy went their separate directions. Willow was in South Africa and Kennedy was in Rome with Faith. Still, they were trying to do some long distance relationship thing. From what Willow had told Buffy, though, it wasn't really working out too well. Actually, it was going so rough that Willow had told Buffy that she was thinking of ending it with Kennedy. A long distance relationship just wouldn't work out.

"Not recently. I called her yesterday but there was no answer."

"Oh, Will, I'm sorry. Everything will work out, though, I'm sure."

"I tried calling Xander yesterday also, but he didn't pick up either. Is it that hard for everybody to answer a phone call every once in a while?"

Xander had been the only one out of all of them to stay in the US. He'd trained to become a detective, working under cover. When a supernatural death occurred, he'd alert some Slayers and cover it up the best he could. As far as Buffy knew, he was happy. He still mourned the death of Anya, but he was okay. They all kept in touch pretty often.

Buffy had talked to Xander about a week ago. He was dealing with some crazed vampire going on some sort of killing spree. It was strange that he wouldn't answer Willow's call.

She and Willow talked a little longer until Willow said that she should actually get going. They said their goodbyes and promised that they'd talk again real soon.

The moment Buffy put the phone down; Giles seemed to enter the kitchen. He stumbled in a little, and then stood up straight. Buffy noted that he looked extremely exhausted. Had he not been sleeping well? Or was he just up all night looking in to this new vampire "master"?

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Good morning," Dawn said back. She was sitting at the table, sipping her orange juice.

"Did you sleep okay?" Buffy asked.

"What?" Giles seemed fazed. "Oh, yes, fine." He was still thinking about the phone call he received last night and if he wanted to tell Buffy about Spike.

"I heard the phone ring late last night," Buffy frowned. "Was something wrong?"

"Oh, no," Giles shook his head. "Just those damn telemarketers again."

"That late?" Dawn questioned. "We should call somebody about that."

"Yeah," Buffy agreed. She eyed Giles strangely. He wasn't looking her in the eye, like he was keeping something from her. What was going on with him? "We definitely should."

* * *

Later on, back in the office, Giles dialed the phone number to L.A. The whole morning he was thinking about the call last night and what he was going to say. Obviously he couldn't just tell Spike that he didn't want Buffy to know about him still being alive.

"Giles? Did you find anything?" Spike answered quite quickly. Giles detected mass amounts of worry in Spike's voice that told him that Spike must've really cared for this women named Fred also, just as Wesley did.

"I'm afraid I can't help you guys, Spike. There's nothing we can do."

"The hell there's not. You see, all you have to do is read through some stinkin' books and look for-"

"I said no, Spike."

"Give me one good reason why not. We need to save Fred, Giles."

Giles panicked. "Buffy doesn't want to help you, Spike. She refuses to help you or anyone you're associated with, including this Fred woman."

Shock swept over Spike. "What? Why wouldn't she want to help?"

"Because she wants to forget about you, Spike, as we all do. I suggest you leave us alone and don't call again." He slammed down the phone.

* * *

"We need to find another way to save her," Angel informed Spike. "I guess we have no choice now but make that trip to the Deeper Well."

"I guess," Spike shook his head angrily. Who was Buffy to say those things; that she didn't want to help him? This wasn't even about him, this was about Fred. How could she be so selfish to ignore the rising of an Old One just because he was involved?

Well, fine. If she wanted nothing to do with him, he didn't want anything to do with her either. It was insane to think that he'd done so much for her, including put his soul back in, and now she was acting like this. After their last talk, when Spike died again, he thought for sure she'd at least be a little happy that he was undead again. If this was how she was going to be, though, then fine, he didn't want her help anyway.

Angel couldn't believe she refused to help also. It was ridiculous and petty of her to not help just because of Spike. It also saddened Angel. A friend was dying and he felt like he was running out of options. Now, all he could do was go to the Deeper Well and hope they could save Fred.

As they got ready to leave for the Deeper Well, Spike thought a little more about Buffy. The whole situation was terrible. With her acting that way, Spike was beginning to think that the Slayer that he (and Angel) had fallen in love with was replaced by some uncaring, selfish person. If that was how she acted now, he didn't want to be in love with her.

_Whatever, _Spike thought to himself once and for all. _Goodbye old lover, _Spike sent one last thought Buffy's way, prepared to forget all about his and Buffy's past because of this issue.

Angel and Spike left for the Deeper Well.


	2. Chapter 2: Angels and Nightmare

**Warning**: Rated T for now, but may change later to M for darker subject matter.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 2: Angels and Nightmare

**One week after the events of last chapter.**

The new vampire Master (as many, _many _of his loyal vampire servants/minions had dubbed him; capital M and all) was nothing like the old Master. His face was not deformed, he was free to roam wherever he wanted in the nighttime of course, and he had better thought out plans—or so he believed. In fact, there was no connection between him and the old Master. What made this vampire stand out amongst all the rest though was just a fantastic mix of brute strength, brains, and severe dedication.

Actually, the more Vamp Master thought about it, he wished he was thought of more as a ruler than a master. Eh, Vamp Master wasn't something to complain about, though, so he'd leave it alone. He thought maybe they chose the name because it gave them a sense of familiarity of old times. That was good. Still, ruler would be better.

His goal, after all, was to be the ruler over the entire vampire species.

Okay, maybe it was a bit of a stretch, but after a bunch of years of hard work and determination, who was to say it wasn't possible? He already had hundreds of loyal vampires at his disposal here in England (and other places in the world) that he'd created or the vampires that he created had created. He already was stronger than most vampires over here, beating them in battles to prove he was better. He already outlasted many Slayer attacks (although he'd never personally killed one or ever really fought with one, he'd always just managed escaping). He was strong. He was better than most vampires, not just solely focused on the selfish need for blood. There wasn't one reason he could find that he couldn't be the ruler, be the Vamp Master, over all vampires in the world. Vampires now were even coming to him, asking to be a part of his reign. He was growing and becoming better and better. In a matter of time, he would become better than everyone else.

There might have been one problem, in his eyes. Vamp Master was a little old fashioned, despite being a generally new vampire. He wanted someone to share this with, a Queen of sorts. Recently he started looking through his followers for someone that would suit his evil needs. He found a few contesters, no doubt. In fact, he and one of the women were going to go out and get blood together in a little bit. Perhaps she could be the one he was searching for?

Oh, it didn't matter. He truly had more important things to worry about. His group needed to grow, that was more important. More people needed to be turned, and soon. More already existing vampires needed to join him. He had to make himself stand out more.

There were two; two vampires that he knew wouldn't join him no matter what. He knew their names, of course. Everyone knew who they were. Angel and Spike, the vampires with souls. They were also problems that would need to be dealt with at one point or another. The good news was that he was already thinking of a plan to deal with them.

* * *

Willow knew what was going to happen. She'd been having the same nightmare every night for the past couple of weeks now, so it was pretty obvious. It was becoming weirder to have these dreams now that she knew it was a dream but couldn't seem to stop it, no matter what she did. It was this dream that led Willow to call Buffy more often just to make sure everything was okay.

The nightmare always began the same way with her, Buffy, Xander, and Giles in the Sunnydale High School library. Plenty of books were spread out over the table, but none of them were even glancing at the books. Instead, they were just sitting around and talking and laughing and having fun. It always started out that way, like a great dream. Then, before she knew it, things turned dark and there was no escape from what was coming after them all. It was horrifying.

Vampires stormed into the library. Buffy, being the Slayer, of course, took ease in fighting them off and slaying all five of them with her stake. When she was done, nothing but piles of dust were left on the floor.

She turned back to them, gave a small smile, and then shrugged. Then she was gone. Just like that. No flash of light, no strange sound, suddenly Buffy just disappeared.

The scenery changed and Willow, Xander, and Giles were outside in the dead of night, stakes in hand, hunting vampires. They were patrolling, and Willow always had to wonder: _Where's Buffy? _

Just as she wondered where Buffy could possibly be, there she was, standing atop a great hill. The moonlight was shining down on her and only her, seeming to envelop her in powerful light that was haunting and yet beautiful. Buffy was holding a stake in her hand and facing the opposite direction.

"Buffy!" They'd all call. "Buffy, we're here!"

Then, as if magically, a vampire would appear in front of her and they'd fight. Willow, Xander, and Giles tried to run forward, but they just couldn't seem to get any closer to help out. Every time they fought, Buffy won. She kicked the vampire and then sent a stake into his chest. He'd turn to dust. Willow and Xander would stop running and start cheering Buffy on: _Go Buffy; who's the best Slayer ever; slay those vampires; go Buffy! _Ironically, Giles would just stand off to the side with his arms folded, closely watching Buffy.

Things would then take mysterious changes. The dust from the fallen vampire would swirl in the wind until it was flying at super high speeds and was coming towards Buffy. Buffy didn't even try to move, try and fight it. The dust hit her right in the chest. Buffy turned to dust, even though she wasn't a vampire and wasn't hit with a stake.

Willow always woke up after that. It was a dumb, crazy dream that probably didn't mean a thing. But it frightened her, and she had no idea why. It probably meant nothing. No; it _certainly _meant nothing. It was just a stupid recurring nightmare.

But why couldn't she get rid of it? What was it trying to tell her?

Shaking slightly, Willow got back under her covers. She needed to get some sleep. She was going to have a long day tomorrow.

* * *

Xander examined the victim's neck. Two puncture wounds the size of teeth. Definitely the same murderer they were searching for, who always left his victims with two puncture wounds on their necks.

He almost laughed. He sounded so professional it was ridiculous. Who would have ever thought Xander the Detective? Definitely not himself.

The thing about doing this work, though, was that it was necessary. Someone in this line of duty of dead bodies needed to alert the Slayers when there were crazy vamps or other wacky demons on the loose. Sure, it wasn't Xander's first choice of work, but he didn't mind it too much. It could be a lot worse. Plus, he was helping the world rid of demons, and he loved doing that.

They were dealing with a really bad vampire who just couldn't seem to be found anywhere and was killing people left and right, leaving behind a bunch of bodies. Constantly it seemed that plenty of Slayers were going patrolling for him, waiting to catch him.

There were rumors of him being involved with that new Vamp Master, or whatever. How and why, Xander didn't know, but hopefully he and the Slayers could figure out if that was actually true.

Lately, a lot of things seemed to be connected to this new Vamp Master. Xander hoped that Buffy would find him soon and put an end to all this nonsense. Then maybe, just maybe, things could get back to normal. Or, as normal as things got for them, anyway.

* * *

Angel was in his office at Wolfram & Hart, staring at his phone. Thinking about Fred. Thinking about Illyria. Thinking about Buffy. She'd been selfish. She'd refused to help, and because of Spike, of all people—or vampires.

Fred was gone, and so soon after they truly lost Cordelia. Now, they had Illyria, an Old one who didn't understand the world and was desperate for Wesley to teach her things about it. That was probably better than having an Old One prepared to destroy the world, but there were a million things Wesley would rather do than help Illyria when every time he looked at her he saw and thought of Fred.

It wasn't entirely Buffy's fault. Angel understood the fact that things could get awkward or weird between two old…_lovers. _Angel was disgusted by the thought of her and Spike and that word. But anyway, Buffy wouldn't have even had to speak to Spike to help them out. All they were asking for was a little research just in case what Wolfram & Hart had wasn't enough and there was a way to save Fred.

What hurt Angel the most was the fact that he thought Buffy would always be there if he ever needed help with anything, just like he would always be there for her if she needed anything. Apparently, through her eyes, that wasn't the case.

He wanted to call Buffy. Tell her how he felt. Ask her how, how could she do this, just let someone that she never met die? Ask for an explanation and a damn good one too, not just because of Spike.

He picked up the phone. Maybe he shouldn't be doing this at all. But he couldn't get this problem off his mind.

* * *

Buffy was in her room, laying in bed and looking through a book. More and more research, that seemed to be all she did lately. When things got bad, though, this was the job she had to do. She forced others to do it with her, though. Dawn was in an opposing room researching, and Buffy was sure Giles was in his office looking through some books as well.

So far, nothing. This Vamp Master or whatever was too new to be in any of these books, Buffy thought. The only way to actually find out about him would be to go out and talk to some vampires around and patrol. She started looking around for her stake.

Just then, the phone started ringing.

Luckily for her, Dawn wasn't near a phone and Giles was in no condition to answer. So she picked it up and pressed the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Buffy." Angel's voice was low and came out in almost a whisper. At the sound of his voice, Buffy lost her breath. Angel? Why was Angel calling? She wasn't sure whether she should be excited or worried.

"Angel. Wow. It's-it's really nice to hear from you."

"Save it, Buffy," Angel said rather rudely. He wanted to cut to the chase, not dance around the reason he was calling.

Buffy was hurt. "Excuse me?"

"Look, I don't know if Giles told you, but he told us why you wouldn't help Fred. That's low, and it hurt not only me, but Spike as well." He chuckled. "I might be an idiot for calling and ranting, but I cared about Fred, we all did, and the thought that you'd refuse never crossed our minds."

She was at a loss for words. She never remembered ever hearing him this angry before. "Spike? Angel, what are you talking about? He's dead. And what's wrong with Fred? I've never even met her."

"Please, Buffy, don't play dumb. I wish I could say sorry for being so rude, but I guess that makes us even now."

"Angel, what are you talking about?" Buffy repeated, tears forming in her eyes.

"She died, Buffy. I hope you know that. Fred died." He paused. "Maybe there was nothing that could've been done to help her anyway. But I thought you'd be there for me and everyone else. Now I know how you really feel."

"You're way out of line," Buffy argued, a tear falling. "I didn't do anything, you have to believe me."

"I would've helped you. No matter what. You let a fantastic woman die and be taken over by an ancient demon. I hope that sticks in your conscious."

The phone went dead. He hung up.

Buffy let a few more tears fall before wiping them away. The way he was talking to her she could've sworn that he wasn't Angel, but a somewhat lesser evil version of Angelus. He must've been really touched by Fred's death and what happened, although she had no idea what he was talking about. And why did he mention Spike?

One thing he said stuck out. _"Look, I don't know if Giles told you, but he told us why you wouldn't help Fred."_

Giles. What did he have to do with this?

Buffy stormed out of her room, tears wiped away, ready to go confront Giles in his office.


	3. Chapter 3: Decisions

**Warning**: Rated T for now, but may change later to M for darker subject matter.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 3: Decisions

Buffy threw open the doors to Giles's office. She was shocked by the sudden darkness and began fumbling around the wall for the light switch. Why in the world was Giles sitting in the dark? Shouldn't he be researching, like they all were? Finally her fingers brushed against the switch. Moving upwards, she moved the switch up, causing light to flood into the office.

How was she going to deal with this? Buffy was still reeling from her call from Angel, clearly. There was something going on that nobody was telling her. Angel was angry at her, so angry that he sounded ready to say goodbye to her and never speak to her again, and she had no idea why. All she knew was that Angel's good friend Fred (who only Willow and Faith, really, had met) was gone and somewhere in this weird blend Giles was mixed in. If anyone was going to tell her what was going on, it would have to be him.

Giles was sitting at the table, but not researching. He appeared to just be sort of staring off into space.

"I need to talk to you," Buffy told him instantly. All of her tears were gone; she didn't want to look too weak when she had no idea what was even going on.

His eyes slowly moved upwards, as if seeing her for the first time. "Oh, Buffy, you're here." The words started to come out with a slur, but as he spoke more, his speech got better so he nearly wasn't slurring. "What a surprise. Is there something that you need?"

"Giles, I just got off the phone with Angel."

Recognition hit Giles's eyes, and Buffy saw it. He knew what she was going to say next and he knew what was coming after that. Almost within five minutes, everything he had done the week before involving Angel and Spike and Fred and everyone else was revealed. Buffy knew, so she was angry. He had wanted to keep it a secret for a while so Buffy wouldn't be as hurt, but apparently that wasn't an option anymore.

"I'll be completely honest with you," Giles said. He stood up suddenly, causing the chair to scrape against the ground, causing a horrid sound. He closed his eyes, as if he were extremely tired, and then opened them again. His hands were hanging on to the table, as if he couldn't stand up on his own.

Buffy knew something was going on, that he was drunk, or something. Why else would he be like this, unstable on his feet? Still, she wasn't going to wait for the answers she wanted.

"Spike's alive," Giles started off.

Silence filled the room. Surprise filled Buffy's chest. What…how? She saw Spike burn. She…

_"I love you," _she had said.

"_No, you don't. But thanks for sayin' it," _Spike had last responded to her.

Their last conversation. She remembered it, of course. Who could forget it? And now he was alive? If he was alive, wouldn't he have called her or come to England or anything? Buffy didn't understand.

"How?" she asked Giles.

"I am not sure of that. I had no time to ask. He and Wesley were too busy asking for favors." He spoke slowly, to get every word out that he could.

"Favors?" Buffy echoed.

"The-the woman. Fred was dying. According to Wesley, an Old One was taking over." Out of nowhere, Giles let out a laugh. "Oh, like there was any possibility of saving her anyway. There wasn't! An Old One…no, no amount of research would've worked."

Buffy connected the pieces of the puzzle that she could, thinking of what Angel said and what Giles was saying.

"They needed help," Buffy concluded, summarizing. "Their friend was dying and they called you to ask if you could research any ways to help Fred. So how does that come out to be my fault that she died?"

"I told them we wouldn't help them. Because of you. You didn't want to."

Buffy's mouth fell open. "Giles, I… Why would you do that? I would've helped, of course I would."

"I was protecting you!" Giles yelled. "From Spike, from Angel, from all of them! They're all bad, and not _things _that we need to associate with. You're the Slayer. Your problems are more important than theirs."

"That's not true!" Buffy argued back. "They're people I love, people I care about."

"They're not _people," _Giles spat. _"Vampires."_

She shook her head. Tears were coming back. "I care about them, Giles. How could you? How could you? Now Angel is threatening to never speak to me, hoping I remember what I did to his friend. He blames me for Fred's death, and I didn't even know she was dying." Buffy took a deep breath. "God, Giles, nobody over there will ever speak to me again!"

"Good riddance."

"No!" Now she was crying again. "They're my friends. I-I love…" She couldn't finish that statement. It didn't matter. After what she "did," the ones she loved wouldn't love her anymore anyway.

Giles, how could he? After all these years of them going through thick and thin, beating all the bad guys, working past almost every obstacle imaginable. What was happening to him? Why did he have to be acting like this?

She couldn't stand it anymore. She had to get out of here, get away from him and this apartment. Angrily, Buffy spun around and began storming out of the office.

"Where are you going?" Giles called after her.

"Why?" she yelled back. "You want to call Angel back and blame more things on me?"

Grabbing her stake, Buffy left the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

Dawn didn't outright hear every word that was yelled between Giles and Buffy, but she definitely heard some shouting. It frightened her, at first. She'd never heard Buffy and Giles yell at each other like that. And then came the slamming of the front door. Buffy left the building.

She was tempted to go find Giles and ask what was going on. Knowing him and Buffy, though, neither of them would probably tell her until everything was all made up. Hopefully, that'd be soon. Everything would go haywire if everything in this apartment became stressed and angry. All Dawn wished for was some peace and friendliness in their living place.

Albeit, Giles had been acting kind of strange lately. Maybe their argument had something to do with that?

Oh, who knew? It could be any problem. And now Buffy was out—patrolling most likely—avoiding any more confrontation that Giles and she could have tonight. As much as she wanted to go see what was happening, she decided to stay in her room and hope that everything would be better tomorrow.

* * *

Why was she so irate? Buffy was being unreasonable and selfish. He had done her a favor, a huge one, and gotten many problems off her back. How could she not see it? Without him, Angel and Spike and Buffy would all cling to each other forever, hoping one day for one romance to happen which eventually would lead to destruction. Angel and Buffy couldn't be together because of his curse and Spike and Buffy together would surely end in disaster, in Giles's eyes. He'd done the right thing.

She was ridiculous, way out of line. Buffy was foolish. Everything that went wrong was because of Angel and Spike. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if it was their fault that Fred had fallen to that Old One.

They were all doomed if they were to stay around with Angel and Spike. That meant Wesley was doomed too, and so was whoever else that surrounded themselves with those two vampires. They worked for Wolfram & Hart, for God's sake; the home of evil!

Buffy would get over it. She'd realize what was best for her. And so would _he, _because Giles had another thought that could save someone else's life.

He began searching around on his desk for the slip of paper that held the number to the Wolfram & Hart offices. When he found it, he became hesitant of calling in case Angel would answer, but then he thought that the number would go to Wesley's office, seeing as Wesley was the one to call him in the first place. With the phone, he started dialing.

"Hello?" Wesley answered. His voice was dark and depressing. Understandable, Giles supposed; he did recently lose Fred, who he had cared for.

"Wesley, it's Giles."

"Oh. Well, um, I certainly didn't expect to hear from you."

"Yes, I know this is a bit of a surprise. I've been thinking about a lot of things lately, though, and I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?"

"Yes. But before we get there, I must apologize for Fred's death, along with Buffy's actions. I can't help but feel guilty for what's been done."

"It's not your fault," Wesley spoke in a monotone voice, giving Giles the illusion that Wesley might not have been telling the truth, that he did somewhat blame Giles.

"As you know, we have many Slayers running about and we are rebuilding the Watchers Council. We have a few Slayers in Rome, including one named Kennedy. She is staying with Faith—which might've been a mistake, now that I look back on it. She's quite a lot like Faith; occasional attitude, sometimes a little bit of a rebel, and I wouldn't want something bad to come of her acting without thinking. This could be your second chance, Wesley. What happened to Faith and you, that's all put behind us. I'd like you to go to Rome to help train Kennedy to become the best Slayer she can possibly be. I have the utmost faith that you'd be able to do it."

Wesley remained silent for many seconds. "With Faith, I was a horrible Watcher. I don't believe I am the one for this, Giles."

"Wesley, you are. Just by hearing the way you talk I can tell you've grown and changed immense-immensely," he stuttered. He blinked and took a deep breath. "You'd be a great help to Kennedy."

"I…" Wesley sighed. "May I think about it?"

"Of course. Call me back by tomorrow evening."

"Sure."

Giles smiled. Wesley had to see what was right for him because Giles wasn't planning on accepting no for an answer.

* * *

Wesley put the phone down. Just as he did, the door to his office opened, and in walked the haunting figure of a now dead Winifred Burkle. In her usual armor, Illyria stepped forward. Her ice-blue hair was covering part of her face, which Wes was thankful for. He really didn't need to see her face right now, and see those eyes that were no longer the ones he loved.

"My pet is annoyed with me. He has stormed off. I will show him annoyance—rip out his fangs and cut off his head for acting such selfishly."

"Spike is not your pet," Wes spoke, standing up. "Even if he were, being annoyed with him isn't a proper reason to kill him."

"_Proper," _Illyria mocked. "Humanity is disgusting."

"You asked me to teach it to you," he countered.

Then suddenly Illyria was gone, having slowed time and left the office, not wishing for Wes to see her leave. It always spooked him out when she did that. Couldn't she just walk out of the office without freezing time?

Whatever. Like he really cared. Illyria wasn't his top concern, so why was he burdened with taking care of her?

He left the office, making his way towards Angel's. He wanted to tell Angel about the call he just received from Giles. Admittedly, going off to Rome and training a Slayer sounded tempting, especially after all he'd been through recently. It'd get him away from L.A., away from Wolfram & Hart, away from Illyria inhabiting Fred's body. But he wasn't so sure he should do it. He just wasn't a Watcher anymore.

In his office, Angel was sitting at his desk, thinking over everything he said to Buffy, hoping what he said hit home for her and she understood the pain he felt.

"Wes," Angel said worriedly. "Is something wrong?"

"Illyria is fine," he responded.

"No way in hell," Spike spoke up, raiding into the office all of a sudden. "Who does she think she is, bloody callin' me her pet?"

"Look, Angel, I wanted to talk to you," Wes said.

"About Illyria?" Spike asked. "Good! I think-"

"No," Wes stopped him. "I got a call from Giles. A job offer."

Spike didn't say anything, thinking back to what Buffy did. Angel didn't speak either, not knowing if this had any connection to his phone call to Buffy.

"Wesley," Angel started, but Wes cut him off.

"I wouldn't be anywhere near Buffy. I'd be in Rome, actually, looking after a different Slayer named Kennedy."

"Mm," Spike moaned. "She really could use some lookin' after and trainin'."

Angel shot Spike a dirty look. "Wes, I… Well, what do you think? I mean, we don't want you to leave here, of course not. But it is your decision."

He sighed. "As much as I'd like to say and be haunted by Fred's face, I don't know. On one hand I think this is a great time to be around the people I care about and who care about me, but on the other maybe it'd be great to get a new start. And it's not like I couldn't come back. I train Kennedy in Rome for a little while, then come back to L.A., when the wounds aren't so fresh. It'd just be like a small work vacation."

"What about Illyria?" Spike asked the dreaded question. "She looks for you to teach her about humanity."

"Someone else can do it while I'm gone," Wes spat. "She doesn't need me. I don't need her. I don't _want _to even see her."

A few moments of silence ensued. "I understand," Angel finally told him. "If you need to leave for a little while, Wesley, it makes sense. None of us are going to try and hold you back. Do what you want to do."

Wes appreciated what Angel was saying. It really made sense. So, Wes would do what he wanted to do.

* * *

Night finally fell. Buffy left the apartment a little before nightfall, so she walked around aimlessly with a stake in her hand, just waiting for vampires or demons or anything to come out. She had a lot of bent up anger that she wanted to get out.

Once it was night, she headed to the local graveyard. There were always vamps there that were in a good need of staking.

As she neared, she heard two people laughing. Looking around, she saw them. There, atop a hill that was right next to the graveyard. Two vampires. They had to be. Two vampires…without souls. She began walking towards them, a bit of fear rushing through her body, although she wasn't sure why. They were just vampires, a guy and girl, it looked like.

But as she got closer, she saw the face of the guy. It was a face she'd seen before, not too long ago when she and a few other Slayers raided a local vampire hangout. He was there, and immediately they all knew who he was. The new Vamp Master. And now here he was again. In the graveyard.

With bad timing, she thought of Angel and Spike. They had souls, would never fall in with a vampire like this. They would also never speak to her again, never forgive her.

Buffy continued walking towards the two vampires, holding the end of the stake in her fingertips.


	4. Chapter 4: Return Home

**Warning**: Rated T for now, but may change later to M for darker subject matter.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 4: Return Home

Buffy approached the Vamp Master and the lady who accompanied him. Neither had really noticed her until she was too close not to be noticed. They both turned to her, the woman vampire immediately changing to her game face. Vamp Master stood there coolly, watching through thick gray eyes.

Up this close, Buffy actually got a good look at the Vamp Master. He was admittedly good looking. Tall and muscular, and it didn't hurt that he stood up as straight as he could, as if extremely proud. His hair was dark, darker than Angel's, and short. It lay flat on his head with a few pieces touching the tips of his forehead. His eyes were gray and intense. Buffy could imagine being one of his servants and crumbling under his glare. No wonder this guy had such power over so many vampires. He was so imposing.

The woman was blond and not very pretty (at least not with her vamp face). She took a daring step in front of Vamp Master, as if protective.

"Well, well, well," Buffy started, "you need a girl to fight your battles?"

Vamp Master didn't react to her words. Instead, he stood still as a stone and kept his eyes locked on her.

"Don't talk to him, Slayer," the woman vampire said. "You are not worthy of such greatness. I will kill you and we will drink your blood for your indiscretions."

Buffy faked a shiver. "Oh, I'm so scared," she said sarcastically.

The woman leaped at Buffy. Buffy moved to the right and instantly hit the woman with a kick to her side. She fell to the ground but rolled over and stood back up, clearly much angrier now. Just based on the first move, Buffy knew this would be easy enough. The vampire wasn't much of an experienced fighter.

Buffy blocked a punch and sent one of her own to the vampire's face. She stumbled backwards, confused. Buffy stepped forward, raised her stake, and swung it straight at the vampire's chest.

Unfortunately, she ducked right in time, causing Buffy to miss her entirely. The vampire jumped up and tackled her to the ground. The stake flew out of Buffy's hand, over near the Vamp Master who was still remaining in his spot, casually watching the fight between Slayer and vampire.

The vampire and Buffy were sort of wrestling on the ground, with the vampire on top of her, bearing her fangs. She was trying to reach down to get a taste of the Slayer.

Nobody saw it, but Vamp Master lightly tapped the stake with his foot, sending it back towards Buffy.

Out of the corner of her eye, Buffy saw the stake on the ground next to her. She thought it got thrown farther than that, but didn't second guess it. She grabbed the stake with her right hand, still holding off the vampire with her left. Once she grasped it, she raised it straight into the vampire's chest, where her un-beating heart was. She turned to dust on top of Buffy.

Buffy stood up, wiping all the dust off of her outfit. She looked at Vamp Master.

"Well, it appears you've killed my date," he spoke for the first time. He had an English accent and spoke loudly, almost with much authority.

"What do you care?" Buffy asked. "It's not like you have a soul."

"Obviously not," he said. Every word he spoke sounded meticulous and thought out. "That doesn't mean I wouldn't have jovially shared a meal with her. We hadn't even found a victim yet."

"You were looking in the wrong place," Buffy informed him, pointing at the cemetery. "This is where the dead and buried people are."

Vamp Master smiled. "Based on your fighting and comebacks, you must be Buffy."

"The one and only."

"Have you spoken with Angel or Spike recently, those two soulful freaks? I would love to know how things are going at Wolfram & Hart before we head to L.A."

"Don't you mention them," Buffy said, grimacing. At their mention, she was reminded of the imminent despair of that situation. They were done with her. Fine. Maybe she could accept that. She didn't need them anyway, especially if Angel wouldn't even listen to her side of the story or believe her when she told him on the phone she didn't understand what he was talking about. "How do you know about them?"

"Doesn't everybody? And doesn't everybody know about your constant back and forth between the two vampires?"

Buffy shook her head. "I never went back and forth between either of them."

"Oh, really? My apologies then. So, which one are you in love with?"

"Are we gonna fight or not?" she avoided the question. Talking about Angel and Spike now anyway was just making her distracted, making her off her game. The fact that they were prepared to just say goodbye to her and not hear her out…well, it hurt. And the fact that Giles was turning into some kind of liar was affecting her too. Her bent up anger was disappearing and turning into a sadness that made her feel weak and wouldn't be useful in a fight. Still, Vamp Master was here, so she had no choice but fight him now, no matter the outcome. "Because I'd rather not spend all night in this graveyard."

"Yes, I suppose we should get down to it then. I've never had a Slayer before. I wonder if the blood tastes any different. It's a shame my date won't be here to find out. Eh, I didn't really like her anyway. Too chatty. Not fit for a Queen." His gray eyes stared into Buffy's own eyes. There was something super creepy about the way he was looking at her.

"Queen?" Buffy couldn't help but question. Then she shook her head. She didn't want to know. This wasn't important right now. "Come on," she provoked. "Let's fight."

And the fight began.

He was quick, much quicker than Buffy ever expected him to be. In mid-run he turned to his vampire face. Just as Buffy tried to move away from his direction, he hit her in the side at full speed, causing both of them to fly off in opposite directions.

She jumped up and got in a fighting stance, holding up her stake. But as she looked around, she couldn't see him. Where'd he go?

Suddenly, off to her left, he leaped out of the darkness with a shout. He tackled Buffy to the ground. This time, Buffy made sure to hold on to her stake with dear life.

She tried to use the stake against him, to fight him off, but for some reason she didn't feel strong enough. She felt weak, extremely weak. At this point, she was only holding up her arms to defend herself from his attempts to punch and bite her.

With a surge of strength, she managed to bring her legs up and kick Vamp Master right in the chest. He went flying back a few steps. With her usual dedication and accurateness, she should have thrown him much farther. Why did she feel like this? Why was everything coming to this point?

By the time she got herself standing, Vamp Master was already upon her again. With a fast punch, he knocked the stake right out of her hand, sending it flying. His grin looked truly evil with his vampire face; his now-yellow eyes burning the night. Looking into his brightly frightening eyes, she saw something she didn't want to see.

She saw everybody, the entire Scooby gang; minus herself. Willow, Xander, Giles, Faith, Kennedy, Dawn, and heck, even Andrew was there. They all had disgusted looks on their faces. They were all surrounding Giles, shaking their heads at the words he spoke.

"She just let her die," she could practically hear Giles telling everybody. He told them about Fred and her not wanting to help Fred. That wasn't true! Everyone was eating it up, though, believing Giles completely. No one trusted Buffy after that, not anymore. She had to be such a horrible person to let her feelings get in the way of saving someone's life. They all weren't going to hear her out, either. They were going to shun her like Angel and Spike were doing. It made sense. What she'd "done" was absolutely terrible. They'd want her to go away, to never speak to them again. They'd all believe Giles, because surely he wouldn't tell the real truth. She'd have no one. No friends, no relationships. She'd be completely and utterly alone—even more so than she already was.

The small vision she saw brought tears to her eyes.

Buffy couldn't move as Vamp Master came at her again.

He wrapped her in his giant arms, letting out a puff of breath so close to her ear she felt it on her skin. She could practically see as he brought his face down and she felt his fangs sink into her neck. The pain was terrible. She tried to call out, tried to yell, but failed. Her mouth hung open in shock. Still, all she could see was Willow, Xander, and everyone else. All she saw was the pure contempt they'd have in their eyes when Giles told them about her refusing to help—and of course he'd tell them about it, and if not Giles, then Angel or Spike would mention it to Willow or Xander or someone else.

The blood rushed into Vamp Master's mouth. He savored this moment as long as he could. Him and a Slayer. This, surely, would solidify his ranks as a Vampire Master. Everyone would be so ecstatic.

He pulled his fangs out of Buffy's neck. She still had plenty of blood in her and would be fine (for now) but he didn't unwrap his arms.

Tears were streaming down Buffy's face.

"Do…it."

Vamp Master frowned. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"Do…it," Buffy repeated in a hoarse whisper.

Vamp Master shrugged. Well, if that was what she wanted. He began lowering his face to her neck again, getting excited just at the sight of her delicious blood.

But then; no. A thought was brewing in his head, a genius thought. Killing a Slayer would grant him so much praise, but there was another way he could get mass amounts of praise. He could do something that's never been done before. As the thought continued and continued to blossom in his head, the more he loved the sound of it.

He reached in his pocket with his right arm, grabbing on to a pocketknife he carried around. Buffy stayed in his left arm, unable to move. She saw him raise the pocketknife to his left arm and make a cut on his wrist. Blood dribbled out.

"Open wide," he whispered to her. Buffy was too weak to do anything. It didn't matter. Vamp Master shoved his bloodied wrist over her mouth. Blood dripped into her system, and she couldn't do anything about it. Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself actually _sucking, _wanting more, wanting more. And then she grew awfully drained. Her eyelids were heavier than heavy and closing fast. Nothing could be done as she fell into a deep slumber.

"You'll wake soon," Vamp Master spoke, slowly laying her gently on the grass. He switched back to his normal face. "You'll wake soon…Queen."

* * *

"Hey, Giles!" Faith yelled, generally excited. "Long time no talk. Thought you'd forgotten about us Slayers over here." Kennedy started walking downstairs. "Hey, Ken, come here. It's Giles."

Kennedy rushed over. It'd been a while since she last talked to anybody in England, which made her kind of nervous. Did that mean there was some emergency or something? A part of her hoped so. She really had an urge to go out and kick something's butt.

"Ah, good. Faith, I must speak with Kennedy."

"He wants to talk to you," Faith told Kennedy. She didn't hand the phone over, though. Instead, she brought it away from her ear, looked at it, and pressed the speaker button. "Whatever you have to say, you can say to both of us, right? Come on, Giles, you can't stay a stranger and then just expect me to get off the phone. I miss you, old friend."

Kennedy giggled. She was really starting to like being in Rome with Faith. She was really a lot of fun. The only down side was: no Willow.

"Faith, this isn't the time for jokes," Giles preached.

"Sorry, _father," _Faith rolled her eyes. "Okay, serious now. What's up?"

"You remember Wesley?"

"Duh," she responded a bit sarcastically.

"Well, I've, uh… I've offered him a sort of…job. Another Watcher-typed deal, I suppose."

"Well that's great," Faith said. "But I really don't think he'll want to leave Angel and all his friends. Especially with that Fred girl. There was some serious chemistry going on with them last time I was there."

"Faith, Fred is dead."

"Oh my God," Faith whispered, clearly shocked.

Kennedy, having not known Fred, took the phone out of Faith's hand. She wasn't as surprised and didn't really know how to react to the news. "So why are you calling us about this?" Kennedy questioned Giles, leaving Faith to let the news of Fred sink in.

"You see, Kennedy, his job would be to come to Rome. He'd, uh, train you specifically. Help you become a fantastic Slayer."

"So I'm not a good Slayer?" Kennedy frowned, offended.

"No, it's not that. It's just… Kennedy. It'd be good to get some extra help."

"I heard about him and Faith back in Sunnydale. I don't know if-"

"He's grown a lot since then, Kennedy. And besides. He hasn't even accepted the offer yet. I'm just warning you in case he does."

With a sigh, Kennedy told Giles it was okay. It'd be kind of cool to meet this famous Wesley that Faith had spoken of many times before. After that, Giles got off the phone, saying he'd call back once he heard from Wesley again. Awkwardly, Kennedy placed a hand on Faith's shoulder.

"You okay?" she asked her friend.

"Yeah," Faith nodded, closing her eyes. "Just surprised. I feel bad for Wesley."

There was nothing she could say after that, Kennedy felt. She felt sorry for Faith, sure, and sorry for Wesley, also. But she didn't know Fred. There was nothing she could say to Faith to make anything better. All she could do was leave Faith to mourn on her own.

* * *

Back in his office, Wesley looked around. The office looked so…empty. He had no family pictures up or anything of that sort. Why would he? It wasn't like he was close to his parents. The only pictures on his desk were ones of him and the rest of Angel Investigations. One of him, Angel, and Cordelia. One of him, Cordelia, and Gunn. One with everybody, including Fred and Lorne. And one with just him and Fred.

He picked up the picture with him and Fred. It was a picture that was taken by some photographer at the Halloween party they had not too long ago at Wolfram & Hart, when they were both "drunk." They both had dumbfounded smiles on their faces like they were really confused but really happy at the same time. Wes really liked the picture.

It was clear to him. He needed to get away from Wolfram & Hart, away from Illyria. He'd go to Rome, help further train Kennedy, and then come back. Maybe then, everything would be easier to deal with.

* * *

Dawn's eyelids were growing heavy. Too much researching in one night. And even after all that researching, flipping through book after endless book, there was nothing she could find on the new Vamp Master. It sucked. So much.

She closed the book she was currently looking at and then threw it on the ground. After she heard the _bang _as it connected with the floor, she pulled herself under the bed covers. Reaching over, her fingers brushed against the lamp that was on. She pulled the switch thing, turning it off.

Darkness followed.

Dawn closed her eyes. In her mind, she heard Buffy and Giles arguing again. It was such an ugly sound. Everything needed to be better tomorrow, Dawn was really hoping. Buffy was still out patrolling, though, so they weren't going to make up any time soon. Buffy had been gone for a while, hadn't she? Was she just avoiding coming home?

_Return home safely, _Dawn silently willed her sister as she really began drifting off to sleep. _Return home safely._


	5. Chapter 5: Awakenings

**Warning**: Rated T for now, but may change later to M for darker subject matter.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 5: Awakenings

The phone was ringing again. Willow was calling for the third time in a row, and still no answer. What were they doing, avoiding her calls or something? She really, really needed to talk to Kennedy. Why wasn't she answering?

Willow had made up her mind. The long distance relationship wasn't working.

Actually, Willow had made up her mind about her and Kennedy's relationship a long time ago. She'd always just chickened out of actually saying the words. Today was the day, though. There was no backing out of it. So that meant that, no matter what, Willow was going to keep calling until Kennedy or Faith picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

_Finally, _Willow thought to herself.

"Kennedy, hi." Nervousness was starting to creep up into Willow's system.

"Willow! It's been so long since we've talked. How are you?"

"I'm-I'm okay. Listen, I need to talk to you."

A generally short talk then ensued. Bravely, Willow just came right out and told Kennedy how she felt. As long as they were apart (which could be a really long time), the relationship wasn't going to work. Kennedy spent a lot of the "conversation" being quiet, just taking it all in. And then, when Willow was done explaining her feelings the best she could, Kennedy told her she understood and that it was okay. Then Kennedy hung up.

That was it. The break up was done smoothly, with no yelling or anger on either of their sides. Willow felt proud. She did kind of worry how Kennedy would take it, though. Oh, but surely she'd be fine. Surely she'd be fine.

* * *

Dawn woke up when it was morning. She sat up with a yawn and stretched. Throwing the covers off her body, she jumped out of her bed. She felt good. Better than good. Like today was going to be a good day. She wasn't sure why, there was just a feeling in her chest.

As she left her room, she noticed something off. Buffy's room—more specifically, the door to Buffy's room. It was open. Dawn snuck over to take a peek into Buffy's room, to check if she was still sleeping. But Buffy wasn't there. Dawn opened the door a little more, to check out the whole room. Empty. In fact, that bed was even made, unmarked of any signs of sleep.

Had she gotten up early? Even if she had, Dawn knew her sister, and she knew Buffy wouldn't have made her bed yet. Did that mean she hadn't come home?

Instantly, Dawn's good feeling went away, replaced by sheer worry and terror. She took a deep breath, though. Calming herself down. It was nothing. Buffy was fine. She probably just stayed out, still reeling from her fight with Giles. Yeah, that was it. Buffy would be back soon, though, for sure.

Still, Dawn checked around the apartment, making sure there was no sign of Buffy. When she couldn't find her, she went to Giles's room. There was no answer when Dawn knocked, so eventually she just barged in. Giles was sprawled across his bed, covers thrown over him.

"Giles," Dawn said. "Giles! Giles!" she yelled louder.

Giles groaned. He turned his head slightly, seeing her. He raised a hand and put it on his aching head. "Dawn, go away." His voice came out weak. He was in pain.

"Giles, Buffy still isn't home. I'm worried. She went out patrolling last night, right?"

"Dawn, not now! She's fine. Please get out." He shut his eyes tightly, trying to block out the pain.

She sighed angrily. As she left the room, she slammed the door behind her.

* * *

"Like, who does she think she is?" Kennedy spoke, shaking her head. "Why would she break up with me, anyway? I mean, there's not really a good reason."

"I'm sorry," Faith comforted her friend. "What exactly did she say?"

"Just that long distance relationships didn't work and that we shouldn't continue always being this far apart." Kennedy folded her arms across her chest. "There has to be another reason, though." Suddenly Kennedy sat up straight, as stiff as a board. "What if there's someone else?"

"Kennedy, come on. Red? She'd never cheat or anything like that."

"Hey, she cheated on Oz with Xander a long time ago."

"Yeah, a _long _time ago. Listen, I know it's hard. But you'll find someone else."

Kennedy sighed. She was still angry. Faith was right. She could find somebody else. Or, she could get Willow back. She'd just have to think of a way to do that…

* * *

Wesley was packing. He'd called Giles, and since there was no answer he left a message, saying that he'd accept and go to Rome and help train Kennedy. After the call, he felt excited. He was going somewhere new, getting another start. He thought it would be a good idea to get a head start on clearing out his office.

Unfortunately, Illyria came in his office again. At first, she said nothing. She just walked around; eyeing the box Wes was currently using to put stuff in. She looked apparently confused.

"What are you doing?" Illyria finally questioned.

"I'm leaving," he answered shortly.

Illyria paused, not comprehending. "When will you return?"

"I'm not sure. Weeks? Months? It could be any length of time, really."

"Am I coming with you?"

For the first time, Wes looked Illyria in the eyes. "No. You will stay here. Angel will look after you until further notice."

"Look after me? I am not a pet! I am a God. I deserve to be treated that way. I will not learn the ways of humanity through a _vampire."_

"He has a soul. You'll be fine."

"Vulnerability," Illyria stated. "You taught me that and what it meant." Illyria's form started to change until all the blue and armor was gone, and an image of Fred was left standing in front of him. "I need you here, Wesley," Illyria spoke through Fred, in Fred's voice.

"No, _Illyria. _You don't." He walked past the figure of Fred, unable to look at her, tears forming in his eyes.

* * *

Buffy's eyes snapped open. Immediately, she was hit with pain that was utterly unbearable. It was dark wherever she was, but not dark enough. The window had curtains over them, but still a small little rectangle of light made its way onto the floor. As soon as her eyes saw that light, she felt blinded. Everything was so sensitive.

Noises. So loud and absurd. Voices, so many voices, like they were screaming into her ears. She reached up to cover her ears, but it didn't work. She still heard them. But as she looked around the room she was in, no one was there. She was alone. Where were the voices coming from?

Smells. So many pure, beautiful smells. And ugly smells, too. There was the smell of something incredibly sweet, something that sent little shocks throughout her body. She couldn't tell what it was, unfortunately. She wanted to eat it. Her stomach was feeling quite empty.

Then she noticed what she should've noticed first. There was something wrong with her body. It was…empty. Silent. No heartbeat.

A heartbeat wasn't exactly something people usually pay attention to (obviously you know when you're alive) but when it was gone, it was astoundingly noticeable. So much so that fear tumbled through her body.

She would've gotten up if she could. Her body was too stiff. She needed a minute. She needed to take in her surroundings. She needed to-

No. The realization dawned on her. Buffy had no heartbeat and was still alive.

Vampire.

Initially, Buffy opened her mouth, ready to scream. This was horrid, her worst nightmare! But gradually, her gape formed into a smile. She was a vampire. A vampire Vampire Slayer. It was kind of funny, in a way. The thing was: she didn't care. She was a vampire, and she should've been freaking out, but after the shock, she didn't care. Really, what was the big deal? And besides, she felt great, the best she had in a long time. Suddenly all her petty problems about Spike and Angel and Giles and whatever else seemed so tiny, so unimportant. Who cared? Buffy had been an idiot to act so emotional. So what some woman she'd never met named Fred was dead? So what Angel and Spike blamed her? They were just idiotic vampires with souls, anyway. Disgusting, disgusting souls.

The door to the room she was in opened and then was quickly shut as someone rushed in. Even though it was generally dark in the room, Buffy saw clear as day. Vamp Master had entered the room.

"You," Buffy spoke. "You did this to me."

"Yes, I did. How do you feel?" he came and sat on the bed next to her.

She grinned. "Odd. Amazing. Connected. Like the world is surrounding me. Like everything burns."

"You'll get used to it and everything will calm down soon. Just give it some time. Hell, you should recover generally quickly, you know. You are the Slayer, after all."

They shared a small laugh. Buffy enjoyed it. She enjoyed the fact that she was talking with Vamp Master. He was evil, clearly, but an evil that had chosen her. She felt quite honored.

Buffy took another glance at the small fraction of sunlight on the floor. "Most times, don't vampires rise at night after being turned? I would know."

"Usually," he shrugged. "I may have rushed the process though, cutting it short a few hours. I wanted you to be with me as soon as possible."

"Why would you want me with you? Aren't I, like, your worst enemy?"

Vamp Master grinned wickedly. "Your beauty is radiant. Even more so now that you're a bloodthirsty vampire. Alive, you are the worst enemy to any creature of the night. But as you are now, you are not something I would consider an enemy. No, in fact, I believe we could have a very strong friendship, you and I. Tell me: Angel or Spike?"

Buffy moaned. "Don't remind me of them. Ugh. Just thinking about their souls disgusts me, makes me want to puke. The old Buffy was a fool to love either one of them."

"I know! Buffy, I need you. Together, we could take down the world, the entire world. Together, we could defeat Angel and Spike."

"But…but my family. My friends."

Vamp Master stared at her silently, in shock.

Then Buffy burst into maniacal laughter. "You didn't actually believe that, did you? Please. I don't care about them anymore. Actually…I want more. Giles was a lying backstabber. Oh," Buffy laughed, "maybe now I could give him what he deserves. And Dawn, oh thank God I can get away from her pesky, annoying ways. All she does is talk, talk, talk, and then cries when I don't respond. She's so dependent on me. Let's see how she does without her big sister around to do everything for her."

"So…you're staying?"

Using a lot of strength, Buffy sat up, leaning back on her hands. Her face was close to Vamp Master's. "Of course. You did sire me, you know. I wouldn't leave you."

He started to lean in. Surprised, Buffy backed away.

"Whoa, I'm not that easy," she said.

"Fine. I understand. Just know, Buffy, I have great plans for you and me. I truly see us ruling over this world, together."

Buffy didn't know what to say. To say she felt the same way…well, that would be a plain lie. No, if she was going to do things, be a famous vampire, she was going to do it herself, not with Vamp Master. If anyone was going to be a master at anything, it was going to be her—and her alone. Still, he could be useful to stick around with for a while. She was a new vampire and needed to learn a few things before she went out on her own.

When she said nothing in response, he chalked it up to her still being shocked at her new form. Well, that was about to change. He had a surprise for her.

"Come on, stand up," he spoke, getting off the bed.

"I'm too weak. This change has really taken a lot out of me."

"Yes, I know. And I know something that will cheer you right up. How does some fresh, delicious, human blood smell?"

Just at the word _blood _she found herself sitting straight up faster than she ever thought possible. Her legs, her arms, everything was beginning to feel more mobile. She got out of bed as smoothly and as quickly as she could. She almost stumbled, but Vamp Master caught her arm, helping her steady herself. She flashed a smile at him that he returned to her.

_He likes me_, Buffy realized.

He began to lead her to the door. Once he opened it, it led to a dark hallway. Buffy began to wonder where they actually were. Some kind of house, or what? She'd have to remember to ask.

With the door open, the thing she smelled earlier hit her harder than before. It was so sweet, so delicious smelling. It made her knees weak, thinking about that scrumptious smell.

Down the long hallway. They passed many doors both on the left and the right. Eventually, the smell became unbearable to Buffy. Her mouth was watering and watering and she needed something right now. With every step the smell became much more powerful and intoxicating.

Finally, they went inside a room on the left. The door opened and Buffy inhaled slowly, oh-so slowly. Her eyes closed and she savored the smell.

She opened her eyes, finding herself in another semi-dark room, except this one had a lamp on. She shielded her eyes from it. Doing so, she saw where the delicious smell was coming from.

A man was tied to a chair. He was shivering and whimpering. A long trail of blood ran down his neck, two puncture wounds already on it.

Buffy realized what she had also failed to realize before. The smell, the oh-so enticing smell, was the stink of blood. And as her eyes fell on the blood, onto his open neck wound, she found herself walking towards it, unable to control herself. She let go of Vamp Master, pushing him away.

The man looked at her with fear. The fear made Buffy even hungrier.

In one swift motion, Buffy's true face was gone for the first time as the vampire face took over. She could feel her face bend and move all over to become what it was now. She lowered her face lower and lower and lower until…

She tasted his blood with her tongue. Then she could fully control herself no longer.

She felt her teeth clamping down on the man's neck and she felt herself sucking and felt the blood rushing into her mouth and down her throat.

_So good, so good, so good, _was all Buffy could think to herself as she drank.

Pulling away was probably the hardest thing Buffy ever had to do. Albeit, she could literally feel the life draining out of the man and knew she had to pull away.

"I want more," Buffy told Vamp Master, spinning around back towards him. With her hand, she rubbed around her face and then licked her hand that picked up all the extra blood. After she was done, her face went back to normal. Everything felt so much better now. She felt so much more powerful, like she could conquer anything right now.

"Later, my love," he said. "Once night has fallen, we will go out. You will make your appearance and new status known. Welcome, Buffy. Welcome to the ranks of the undead."

"Glad to be here," she smirked.


	6. Chapter 6: Never Too Late

**Warning**: Rated T for now, but may change later to M for darker subject matter.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 6: Never Too Late

There wasn't a part of the day where Dawn wasn't worried about her sister. Where was she? Was she okay? When would she return home? Would she even return home? There were so many worrisome questions plaguing her mind. It made her feel stupid. She was probably worrying for no reason. Buffy could certainly take care of herself.

But Dawn couldn't help but ask the question: What if? There were unlimited possibilities. Really, anything could've happened. That was what worried her.

Plus, the fact that Giles, _Giles _of all people, wasn't even worried made her even more nervous. This ran deeper than just the fight they had last night.

Eventually, later in the afternoon, Giles did get out of bed, moaning. After taking some kind of meds, he came over to talk to Dawn. He started by apologizing about how he treated her this morning.

"The truth is, I had a little too much to drink last night," he said to her. "Or, rather, a lot too much. Anyway, that's beside the point. I know you're worried about your sister. I guess the truth is that I'm worried too. But deep down inside, I know she's fine, and you know that too. She's just angry."

"What were you guys even fighting about?" Dawn prodded.

Giles sighed. "Buffy thinks I made the wrong choice. She doesn't see how I've helped her."

Dawn took a shaky breath. "What did you do?"

"I let an innocent person die and I blamed it on Buffy."

Shocked, Dawn sat completely still. She didn't know what to say, how to react. It took her a minute to compose herself. "Why…why would you do that?"

"It was for the greater good, trust me. Now, because of me, Angel and Spike will leave her alone. They won't rely on her, they won't call, and if we're lucky, they won't love her anymore. Buffy needs to move on, Dawn, don't you see that?"

"That's not your call to make!" Dawn stood up. Then she thought. "And what do you mean Angel _and _Spike? Spike's not…" The look on Giles's face told Dawn that Spike was, indeed, alive. Or undead.

Dawn stormed out of the room, unable to comprehend everything. Just a little bit, she was beginning to understand why Buffy had run off last night.

* * *

Later, when the sun was finally starting to go down, Buffy's senses were heightening. Her stomach rumbled with hunger, a new taste for blood. Her eyesight was fascinating, getting better and better as the sun went down. Her nose was sniffing out potential victims so far away. She could barely stand still.

The whole day, she's explored where she was. A house—a very large one at that. The house was where Vamp Master stayed, along with many of his most loyal minion/servant/followers type deals. All his others were spread about, he said, so they wouldn't be tracked down too easily. Whenever Buffy walked past one of Vamp Master's followers, they looked at her with complete awe. Whether they were jealous or curious, she wasn't sure.

"Once night falls upon us, word of your new status will spread like wildfire," Vamp Master told her. "My followers will not be able to contain themselves."

"Let it be that way, then," Buffy had stated.

The large house also held many humans that the vampires could feed on during the day, if they had to. Buffy managed to control herself. She wanted to be completely starving for the feast she was planning on having at night with Vamp Master.

The sun was taking forever to completely fall. It seemed no matter what, Buffy would look in the direction of a covered window and see just a hint of sunlight left. She was in the room she had awakened up in earlier that day. Vamp Master had told her it was officially hers for the time being.

The door opened. She turned around, hungrily, seeing who would come in. Of course it was the big boss, though. He just couldn't seem to leave her alone. Buffy couldn't help but think how useful that could be to use him, then.

"Night's almost here," Vamp Master told her, coming over and sitting on the bed next to her. "I've devised a plan for us tonight. You are hungry and need to feed, so we shall do that first. Then, I'd like us—together, mind you—to go to my followers. Even though news of your turning will spread, they won't believe it until they see it. You'll have to-"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said: No. What, do you have a hearing problem?"

"Oh, um, no, I do not," he stammered.

"This is my first night," Buffy told him. "I'll do what I want. Not your little plans. I have plans of my own."

"Buffy, I strongly advise that-"

"I don't care. You're either with me, or against me. It's your choice."

"Oh, Buffy." He reached over and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm with you. I'll always be with you." Suddenly he grabbed her hair and yanked it a little, causing a little pain. "But you have to be with me too. This is a give and take relationship. I sired you."

"Let go of me." He did as she commanded. "We can do all your little plans later. I have my own for the first half of the night, though."

"And what would those be?"

"Giles. For what he did, he needs to pay."

He paused. Then the pause grew into silence. Until: "Giles was your Watcher, right?"

"Yeah. So what?"

"What does he need to pay for, exactly?"

Buffy jumped off the bed. "What do you care? It doesn't matter—he just needs to pay for what he did to me. If you don't care, I'll take care of him myself."

"No, Buffy, I want to help you. We're a team."

"That's strange. You're not acting like we're a team."

"Fine; you want Giles, we go after Giles. I just hope seeing the face of an old loved one won't be too much for you."

"The way I feel inside," Buffy grinned, "nothing can be too much for me."

* * *

Night fell. With the night, tears began to fall from Dawn's eyes. Buffy hadn't been home, much less called or anything. She was so worried about her sister it was almost unbelievable. At this point, Buffy was all she had left. They'd already lost their mother, and Dawn didn't want to lose her big sister.

Along with these thoughts, she couldn't get her mind off of Giles. No wonder Buffy stormed out the night before. Still, she should've come home.

Did Giles really think he did the right thing? He said he let an innocent person die and blamed it on Buffy. Dawn couldn't believe it. So then, Angel and Spike blamed Buffy for the death of someone that must've been important? That was what Dawn was figuring.

Why in the world would Angel and Spike believe Buffy would let someone die, though? They knew her well enough to know she wouldn't do that. Their judgments must've really been clouded by this person who died. Who was the one who died? Giving they must've been around with Angel and his crew it could've been Wesley, a woman named Fred, or another guy named Gunn. Or maybe that one demon; what was his name? Dawn couldn't recall.

That train of thoughts led her to another question. How was Spike alive? Why was he with Angel in L.A.?

A loud pound on the front door to the apartment caused Dawn to jump. Then there was another one. It was like an excessive knock.

Against Dawn's better judgment, she couldn't help but think that it might be Buffy out there knocking on the door, wanting to come inside. This thought caused her to jump up and practically run to the door. At the door, she threw off the unlock button and opened it. Jubilance filled her spirits.

"Buffy!" Dawn cried.

Buffy stood outside the apartment, her hands in her pockets. She smiled. "Dawn, hey."

Dawn leaped out and hugged Buffy. Buffy wasn't sure what to do. A part of her told her she should hug back, but the smell of Dawn's blood was getting in the way of her being able to move.

"What's wrong?" Dawn questioned, retreating off of Buffy. She backed up back inside the apartment.

"Nothing. There's just a-a lot going on, Dawn. Something happened last night. Something awful."

"Is that why you didn't come home?"

Buffy didn't have a chance to answer. Giles suddenly appeared almost out of nowhere. "Who's at the door?" he was asking. Then he looked up and saw Buffy. He took a deep breath.

"Wow Giles," Buffy commented. "No drink in your hand. I'm proud of you."

"Buffy, come inside. We should really talk, and we can't do that with you in the hall."

Luckily, he had said just the words Buffy wanted to hear. She stepped inside the apartment and closed the door behind her. She stayed by the closed door, though, not wanting to go anywhere else. Dawn and Giles stayed where they were, too.

"I'm not going to apologize for what I did," Giles began. For the moment, Buffy stood there and listened to what he was going to say. "I stand by it. But perhaps I could have, uh, found a better suited way to deal with it. It's too late for that now, though. What's done is done. I think we'll find everything will work out."

"Oh, Giles, it's never too late," Buffy played innocent. "Can't you call Angel and Spike and tell them the truth?"

"I-I refuse to do that."

"Hm," Buffy took in what Giles had said. She remained silent for a few moments. "Wrong answer."

Much to both Giles and Dawn's surprise, Buffy's face morphed into one of a vampire's. Because of the instant shock, neither knew that to do. They stood there, staring at Buffy, wondering if what they were seeing was really true or if they were just imagining things.

Trying to compose herself, Dawn began to scream. She didn't know what else to do.

Buffy leaped forward, smacking Dawn out of the way onto the floor and attacking Giles. She wrapped herself behind him, holding him together and in place with her new vampire strength mixed with her old Slayer strength. Giles could barely move, barely breath. She brought her face extremely close down to his neck, ready to prick it and feel the blood run down her throat.

The door swung opened. Vamp Master stood there with a slick grin on his face. He didn't come in.

"Invite him in," Buffy whispered in Giles's ear. "Do it."

"Come…come in," Giles gasped.

"Ah, you must be Buffy's sister. Quite a beauty," he said, approaching Dawn.

"Leave me alone!" She screamed. She was still on the floor, backing away slowly.

"Buffy," Giles continued to try to plead. Even as he did, he could feel it wasn't working. Buffy had complete control over him and would kill him if she wanted to.

"Don't even try," she told him. "You see what I am, now? You see what you did to me? This is your fault, Giles. I gave up because I saw nothing but you and your lies manifesting into everyone hating me. _You _did this to me, Giles." Buffy laughed obnoxiously. "Thank you."

He felt the sharpness of her teeth pierce his skin. The blood rushed out into her mouth quickly, immediately causing a sense of dizziness to overwhelm him.

Just as he was feeling weaker and weaker and on the verge of unconsciousness, she let go of him and threw him to the ground. He landed in a position where he could still look up and see her.

"I'm not gonna kill you," she wiped the excess blood from her mouth. "At least not yet. No, I want you to live with the fact that you did this to me. For now. Trust me, though, I will be back. And next time you won't be so lucky." She looked at Vamp Master, who was calmly watching over Dawn, controlling himself from attacking her. "Hey!" she called to him. "Let's get out of here."

"Are you sure? I thought you wanted to-"

"Yes," Buffy said as snotty as she could manage, cutting him off. "Bye Dawnie. Don't worry; you'll definitely see me again. Maybe next time I'll turn you. How fun would it be to be vampire sisters?"

"Get out," Dawn spoke shakily.

Buffy left, Vamp Master trailing behind her. Once gone, Dawn rushed over to Giles, quickly grabbing a towel to cover up the bloodied wound of Buffy's teeth in his neck. He looked weakened, but Dawn knew he'd be okay. Buffy didn't take too much of his blood.

Dawn stayed by Giles as he drifted off into some kind of black out/slumber. She remained right by his side, making sure he was breathing and his heart was still beating. Since he couldn't see her, Dawn let all her anger and sadness out. She cried, cried streams and streams and let out a few small whimpers. She did that the rest of the night, unable to move out of fear that Buffy would come back.

* * *

"That was exhilarating!" Buffy shouted. "Oh, jeez, I want to do it again. I need more. More blood."

"Okay," Vamp Master said, leading her to an area where there'd be plenty of people to choose from.

"I really wanted to hurt him," Buffy continued. "Like, _really. _Do you think I accomplished that? Maybe not as much as I'd like to. Next time, though, definitely next time. Next time I'll make both of them scream so loud they won't be able to hear themselves think. I've introduced myself to them, though. That means everyone else will know eventually. That's what I want. I want them to see me coming, to expect it. And I'll hit them all where it hurts. Giles and Dawn first. Then Xander. Willow. _Kennedy_ and Faith."

"You want to kill all your friends?" he asked.

"Who said anything about killing? Maybe eventually, sure, but torture sounds more appealing." She let out a shrill laugh. "Angel and Spike certainly make the list. Oh, boy, I could just imagine the looks on their faces when they saw me."

"Buffy, slow down." He stopped walking and stood in front of her, looking into her eyes. "I didn't turn you so you'd extract revenge on everyone you want to. I did it so we could be rulers. I'm already known as Vamp Master, Buffy. You could be my queen. That's what I want. I want you to join me."

This time, before she could stop him, he kissed her.

"Wow," she said when he pulled away.

"So what do you say?"

"Yes. Of course. We'll rule together."

His grin was the widest grin she'd ever seen.

The thing was, in that kiss, Buffy wanted to ask him his real name, but realized what needed to be done. He needed to die. And who was more capable of killing him than her? Why learn the true name of one she was just going to kill? Before that was to happen, though, she had to be known as his precious Queen. Then, once he was dead, she'd have control over all of his followers. Plenty of followers to help torture everyone she wanted to hurt.

Buffy was feeling very excited about her plan.


	7. Chapter 7: The Old and the New

**Warning**: Rated T for now, but may change later to M for darker subject matter.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 7: The Old and the New

When the sun rose, Giles woke up. The memories of the night before came rushing back to him, causing him to feel like a deer trapped in the headlights. The shock was imminent, and soon hopelessness ensued. Buffy, poor Buffy, gone, and replaced by a monster with no soul.

Dawn was curled up next to Giles on the floor, having somehow fallen asleep sometime last night. To Giles, it appeared to him she might be dreaming. She was shaking slightly and her breath was coming out in random puffs. He contemplated waking her, but then thought better of it. Even if she was having a nightmare, if he woke her up who knew when she'd be able to fall asleep again.

A part of him thought he should stay by Dawn until she woke up. That would be the right thing to do. But no; as much as he hated to admit it there were more important things to be done.

He felt the bite wound on his neck. He needed to officially bandage it. Then, oh, he'd need to make some calls. Willow and Xander, they needed to know about Buffy. There was no denying that. Faith and Kennedy would need to know, too. Every Slayer in the world needed to know. Angel and Spike, too, well…as much as they might think they deserve to know, Giles certainly wasn't going to be the one to call them and tell them the news. The most important person who needed to know was Willow. Perhaps Willow could do a certain spell to give Buffy her soul back.

He stood up slowly, being careful of Dawn. Once steady on his feet, he walked towards the bandages. It didn't take too long to clean up all the extra blood around his neck and then stick a bandage on the wound.

As he was applying the bandage he had time to think, really think. Buffy was a vampire. Maybe Willow could help by finding Buffy's soul. Willow, Xander, everybody, they'd ask what happened. Who turned Buffy? That answer was obvious: Vamp Master. How did it happen? Now that, _that _question was the tricky one. Buffy was patrolling. That was all anybody needed to know. Nobody need know about the fight between them and about Giles's indiscretions. If they were to find out about that, they'd blame him for Buffy's turning, and he couldn't handle that. So once everyone knew, there could be no knowledge of any fight between him and Buffy, at least not until Buffy had a soul again. It was settled, in Giles's mind. They couldn't know about him letting Fred die.

Except there was one major factor that would play into the bad side of everything. Moronically, Giles had already told Dawn the truth about his fight with Buffy. How incredibly stupid of him. He couldn't keep it a secret if Dawn knew. God, what was he to do about that? He simply couldn't have the others knowing. He also couldn't tell Dawn not to tell the others, though; that would send her running to tell everyone. What could he do?

Oh, he'd figure it out later. He couldn't worry about it now. He needed to call Willow first, then Xander, then everyone else who needed to be called.

* * *

Willow just arrived back from helping out some Slayers with training. They were all doing pretty great so far. None of them had been Slayers for that long, really, but with their new strength and determination, they were coming along very far.

Just as she walked in the door to her new home, the phone began ringing. She hurried to pick it up. She was actually pleasantly surprised to hear Giles on the other end. Unfortunately, he didn't share the same excitement about talking to her on the phone as she did talking to him.

"Willow, I'm glad I caught you," he spoke, but his voice was insanely solemn and grim.

"Giles, what's wrong? Is everything alright?" her heart began to beat faster and faster.

"Well, um… There's simply no easy way to say this. Although, I feel as if just coming out and saying it would be too abrupt."

"Well, uh, if it helps, I won't say anything. You-you can just say whatever needs to be said and I won't interrupt you or anything. You can just say it, Giles, if it's important there's no need in putting it off anymore."

"Buffy's dead."

Willow's mouth fell open in shock. At first, she thought maybe Giles was just messing with her, doing some messed up prank…but no. The hopelessness in his voice told her that it was absolutely 100% true. She placed a hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming or yelling. Tears welled in her eyes and then were falling down her face before she even had a chance to feel them. There was a sharp pain in her chest. A small whimper managed to escape her throat. All of a sudden, everything seemed to be falling apart. All the surroundings around her were becoming fuzzy and she could barely see straight. She needed to sit down, to do something, _anything, _but what could she do, how was she supposed to react? Her best friend was dead.

"Or, rather, um, undead actually."

And that was it. Willow broke down. The phone slipped from her hand and clanged to the floor. She fell to her knees and let out a sob. The tears running down her face were wet and cold and annoying and horrible and she just wanted to get rid of them to let it stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!

Buffy…undead. Vampire.

She wiped the tears away, but they were just replaced by more. She tried to think happy thoughts, good thoughts, thoughts about how things could be so much worse, no matter how cliché that was. Buffy was a vampire. Okay; that was probably, like, her worst nightmare. But she was still undead. No heart beat, but alive. And soulless.

"Willow?" the faint voice of Giles through the phone, repeatedly calling her name. "Willow?"

She picked up the phone lying next to her. Before she could speak, she sniffled. She wiped the tears away again, trying to calm herself down. Trying to look at the bright side of things. Because she knew what Giles was going to ask next.

"I know this is a bit much to ask. With this given emergency, though, I see no other solution. Come to England, Willow. Buffy needs you. We need you. If there's the slightest possibility we can restore her soul, we must take it."

Willow nodded, and then remembered he couldn't see her. "I'll come. I'm buying a plane ticket now. Giles, what happened?"

A pause. "I'll explain it all later. Please, just get to England as soon as possible."

"What about Xander?"

"I'm calling him next."

"He'll want to come to England too."

"Yes, I figured as much. I figure everyone will want to come to England to support Buffy. It'll be tricky…but we'll manage."

As they hung up, Willow couldn't help but think back to the nightmare she'd been having and how in that nightmare Buffy had seemingly miraculously turned to dust. Hopefully, real life wouldn't have that same outcome.

* * *

Xander's reaction to the news was similar to Willow's, except quieter. Tears fell down his face in silence. He didn't bother trying to wipe them away. The news that Buffy was a vampire was rough, but it wasn't over just yet.

"I'm coming to England," he stated, not questioned. His voice was wobbly, weak.

"Of course. I've told Willow. She is coming also. We believe she might be able to restore Buffy's soul."

"Giles… How's Dawn?"

"I-I'm not sure. Terrible, I believe. She's yet to wake up, though. We'll have more time to talk once you're in England. Hurry, Xander. I urge you."

They hung up. Xander, having had the day off of work, immediately started packing while simultaneously searching the internet for a plane ticket to England today. Once a mess of clothes and other accessories were thrown into a bag he called his boss and told him he'd need to take the next week off, at least.

"You can't-"

His boss had started, obviously angry, but Xander hung up. He didn't care if he'd be mad or pissed off, that didn't matter. Buffy was what mattered.

Xander managed to find one last ticket to a flight that would be leaving in a couple of hours. He bought it; printed off everything he needed, and then rushed to the airport. The only thing keeping him together was the fact that, with Willow's help, Buffy might be okay. Undead, but with a soul. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it was all they could offer.

_Stay strong, _Xander thought silently, hoping that somewhere Buffy's soul could understand what he was saying and know that she'd be back soon, before they knew it.

* * *

"Man, I'm gonna miss you," Charles Gunn said. He and Wes shared a hug.

Ironically, Wes was leaving for Rome on that same day. He had, in reality, only accepted Giles's offer yesterday, but that led him to become very enthusiastic to get started. Thus, he was leaving today. He'd packed all necessities and arranged everything that needed to be arranged. Of course, he had no idea about Buffy.

"I'll be back soon enough," Wes told his friend. He'd said goodbye to Angel and Spike back at the offices; neither could drive him to the airport in the daytime. Thankfully, he avoided talking with Illyria. After their last conversation, with her turning into Fred, well, he didn't want to see her anytime soon.

"I know, it's just gonna be different," Gunn commented. "First Cordy, then Fred, and now you're leavin', English."

"Not for good," Wes reminded him. "I'll be back."

"Yeah, yeah. Well, you should get goin'. Don't wanna miss your flight."

"I hope Illyria stays okay," Wes said. "I wouldn't want her to…overreact to me leaving."

"We'll all make sure she doesn't do anything crazy. It won't be easy, but we'll manage. Now go! I gotta get back to work."

They laughed and said goodbye. Wes started walking away, feeling good about this, about getting away for a while. Sadly, he didn't know this feeling of excitement would soon turn into one of worry.

* * *

Faith received the news of Buffy's vampirism. Her and Giles talked and decided that she and Kennedy should still remain in Rome, though, until further notice. Especially now, with Wesley coming, they couldn't just up and leave.

Faith wasn't sure how to react to the news of Buffy. There was the initial stage of shock. Once she really took the information in, the shock seemed to go away and be replaced by a sense of worry. Buffy was a Vampire Slayer, already having plenty of extra strength and fighting skills. Now she was also a vampire, most likely adding to that strength. If worst came to worst and they had no choice but take Buffy down, it would take plenty of Slayers. Even Faith had to admit Buffy was a good fighter before she was a vampire, and now things were going to be that much harder. Again, if worst came to worst.

After a while, Kennedy came into the room and found Faith just sitting down, as if in some kind of trance.

"Um, Faith?" Kennedy said, frowning. What was wrong with her? "Are you alright?"

Faith sighed and rolled her eyes. "Buffy's a vampire. And here I am, trying to figure out how many Slayers it would take to stake her."

"What?!" Kennedy exploded. "Buffy's a _vampire? _Are you joking?"

"Nope, I'm completely serious. Don't get too enraged, Ken. There might still by some hope. Willow's going to England. Giles is hoping she can do a spell that'll bring Buffy's soul back."

Kennedy ignored the pain in her chest at the mention of Willow. "We should go to England to. They might need us, if we do have to take her down." Faith gave her a weird look. "Not that I want to stake Buffy, it's just we have to be cautious. You know that, Faith. We can't just sit here-"

"We can't leave, either. Wesley's coming."

She groaned. "I don't care about Wesley. I don't even know who he is. So how about I go and-"

"Look, Ken, I want to go too. But they'll let us know if they need our help. In the meantime, we just have to chill. Everything will work out."

"Fine," Kennedy gave in. "I just wanted to help." She stormed out of the room.

* * *

"Are you sure about this? I mean, its daytime, and we all really need to get some sleep." One of Vamp Master's most _loyal _followers was talking to Buffy. "You should get some sleep too."

Absentmindedly, Buffy said, "I'll sleep when I'm dead." Then, she took it upon herself to laugh.

They were back in the house they were in before, of course. Most everyone was sleeping, but Buffy wasn't tired quite yet. She was a vampire, felt more powerful than ever, and something was off. It wasn't like she could look in a mirror, but if she could; she would know that it was her entire appearance. Her hair, her clothes, her entire style was the _old _Buffy. Well, the old Buffy was long gone, now replaced by the new and improved. So, she needed to change.

As she stood now, her blond hair was long and clearly visible, a little past her shoulders. It was so blond and bright and long and totally not who she was anymore. She was going to change, and with the help of this guy who was extremely loyal to Vamp Master and now extremely loyal to the woman he claimed to be his queen. Buffy wasn't quite sure how she felt about that title. Didn't matter, though, did it? It'd be gone before long anyway.

"Now is the perfect time," Buffy told the guy. "I can't stand being this way any longer. Besides. When they all see me again, I want them to know deep inside their guts that things have really changed. _Nothing _will be the same anymore."

She sat down in a chair. The guy vampire grabbed a pair of scissors. "How short?"

Seeing as she had no help of a mirror, she started feeling her hair and feeling around her head, trying to picture the perfect place she wanted to go. She didn't want it too short. She still wanted to see her hair, even if it was just a little sliver out of the corners of her eyes.

"Chin length," Buffy responded. A long time ago (or so it seemed like) she had gotten her hair cut about that short, and it worked out, for the most part. But that wasn't the only change she was planning on making.

As he finished, she ran a hand through her hair. Perfect. Now, if only she could get rid of that blond color.

"What now?"

"What color do you suggest?" Buffy asked the guy. "I want something completely different and yet not too flamboyant. Something sexy. Something almost light and dark."

"What if we were to get the best of both worlds? We make your hair better than it already is, maybe a white-blond type color. Then we add dark highlights, maybe brown?"

Buffy shrugged. "Whatever you say. Do it."

He got to work.

In the end, she thought maybe a white-blond color would be more flamboyant than she had originally wanted, but she'd make it work. The more she thought about it, she liked it. She wanted to have _that _look. That look that caused people to take a double-take at you.

She wasn't sure how long it took. When it was done, she ran her hands through her hair, bringing some of it in front of her eyes to catch a glimpse of it. Surprisingly, it worked. She turned to the guy. "How does it look?"

"Just like I thought it would. The dark highlights work much better than I had anticipated."

Buffy grinned, and then swiftly changed into her vampire face. "Still look amazing?"

The guy's mouth fell open. "Even better."


	8. Chapter 8: Silence and Anger

**Warning**: Rated T for now, but may change later to M for darker subject matter.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 8: Silence and Anger

Willow arrived in England first in the late afternoon. She was thankful for that, at least. If it was dark outside she'd be in much more fear. The thought of actually seeing Buffy as a vampire…it was too much to bear. So in the late afternoon, with the sun still up, Willow made her way to the apartment.

At the apartment, she didn't even have to knock. It was like Giles was sitting in front of the door inside, waiting for her. The door opened up as she was nearing.

Wordlessly, Willow and Giles fell into a hug. Tears were starting to come back to her eyes again, but she managed to blink them away before they fell down in streams. She didn't want to do that to Giles. Giles was visibly shaken. She wished she could comfort him in some way. They all could use some comforting.

Finally pulling apart, Giles cleared his throat. "Please, you should come inside."

She started following him in. "Where's Dawn? Is she okay? Oh, gosh, she must be so heartbroken." She looked down at the floor, happening to see a few drops of blood that were from Giles's neck wound. For the first time, she really noticed the bandage on his neck. "What happened?"

"Yes, well, that's how we know about Buffy. She showed up here. Drank from me. I should be thankful she decided to let me live."

Willow placed her hands over her mouth in a gasp. "Oh no! Giles, are you okay? Oh my gosh, I should have been here, tried to do something."

"Willow, it's perfectly alright. You didn't even know yet."

"I know, I just…" She trailed off. "I take it Dawn saw her too?"

Giles nodded.

"Is she okay?"

The truth was, Giles didn't even know. When Dawn finally woke up earlier today, she didn't say anything. She looked around, as if confused, and then got up and went and sat at the table they usually used for eating dinner. Since then, she'd just been staring out the window, looking out into space, as if there was something spectacularly interesting out there. She hadn't said a single word. Giles attempted to talk to her, to ask her a couple questions, but she remained silent. He figured it was best to just leave her alone until she was to snap out of it on her own. What else could he really do?

He told all that to Willow. Naturally, Willow gave a distressed look on her face, clearly concerned. "Maybe I should talk to her?" she suggested.

"You can try."

Willow walked towards the room where the table was. She was taken aback by the pure stillness of Dawn's figure. If she hadn't known any better, she'd say Dawn was a statue. Everything that Giles had said seemed right. Dawn was sitting, leaned forward against the table, staring out the window.

"Hey, Dawnie," Willow spoke lightly, pulling up a chair to sit next to Dawn. Dawn didn't even glance at her. There were dark rings under her eyes so she mustn't have slept well. "I'm…I'm so sorry. I know that's probably the last thing you want to hear, but I am. I know how it feels. Buffy's my best friend. That's why I'm going to do every-everything I can to give her her soul back."

Still there was no response. Willow reached over to touch Dawn's shoulder.

She got a lot more of a reaction than she was expecting. Willow was thinking maybe Dawn would flinch, but that wasn't what happened. At her touch, Dawn jumped up so suddenly, knocking the chair she was sitting on down. She spun and looked at Willow.

"Fine!" Dawn yelled. "Restore Buffy's soul! Just leave me alone!"

Then before Willow could move she was running off, presumably to her room. Giles came to where Willow was shortly after there was a loud bang of the slam of a door.

"Didn't go so well?" Giles observed, pulling off his glasses and cleaning them.

"She just freaked out on me," Willow stood up. "Giles, I'm worried about her. Maybe I should go talk to her again."

"Or just leave her be," Giles told Willow, putting the glasses back on. "She'll come out of it when she's ready, we shouldn't force her. That could traumatize her even further." Giles didn't mention the fact that if Dawn wasn't going to be talking, that worked well enough into his plan, for now. Now he wouldn't have Dawn telling Willow and then Xander about the fight between Giles and Buffy and about Fred dying just yet.

"Yeah," Willow sighed. She shook her head. "Okay, tell me what happened. How did this happen to Buffy?"

"We should really wait until Xander is here to explain, that way you both know."

It was nighttime when Xander arrived. They greeted with hugs of somberness. Willow held onto Xander tightly and he held on to her, partly for comfort, partly the fact that it was just so great to get to see each other, seeing as they were pretty much best friends since kindergarten. It was unfortunate they had to reunite under these circumstances.

"It's good to see you, Will," Xander said quietly as they pulled apart.

"Yeah. You too," Willow told him. She also told him about Dawn.

"Now that we're here, I should explain what happened," Giles started. "Of course, I don't know the full extent of what happened, but I-I believe I know the gist of it."

"Alright, lay it on us," Xander said.

"You know of this new supposed Vampire Master rising? Vampires all over the place looking up to him like he's some kind of king, worshipping and following him?" Willow and Xander nodded. "Well, when Buffy came here, she was accompanied by this Vamp Master. I can only assume he was the one to turn her last night, when she was out just doing a normal patrol."

"But I don't understand!" Willow cried. "What would he want with Buffy?"

"It doesn't matter," Xander spoke. "All that matters is that he has her and is probably using her and making her do a bunch of evil things. We need to restore her soul."

"Yes," Giles concluded. "Willow, we should get started with the spell right away."

"B-but I don't know how long it'll take. I mean, first we have to find Buffy's soul long before we can even think about putting it back inside of her and then we can do the spell but who knows how long that could take and I can't do it all at once because you _know _I can't use too much magic or-"

"Will," Xander put an arm on her shoulder. "Let's just get started. We can worry about other things later."

Willow nodded to his words. He was right. They just had to take things one step at a time.

* * *

Wesley wasn't sure what he expected to happen when he landed in Rome. Maybe, at least, he expected a smile from Faith or anybody, but Faith actually looked rather caught up in the thoughts inside her head. He saw her standing there in the airport, waiting for him, but she didn't see him until he was standing in front of her.

"Faith," Wes spoke, grabbing her attention.

"Hey, Wes!" she tried to say as excitedly as she could. She and Wes hugged. "I didn't see you," she said as they pulled apart. "How are you?"

"Good, I suppose."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about Fred. I heard what happened and I just…I know how you felt about her. It must be rough."

"It was," Wes admitted. "But I'm here now to forget about that. For a while, anyway."

"Dealing with Kennedy, there'll be no time to even think about anything from before. Trust me, she's a lot of work," Faith said as they started walking away. "She's kind of not herself today, though, just because of what happened, so don't take anything she says too personal."

"What happened?"

Faith frowned. "You…you didn't hear? About Buffy?"

Wes shook his head.

"Wesley, Buffy has…" Faith looked around at the people around them. "Joined the ranks of the not-quite-alive-but-not-dead-either membership," she finished in a whisper.

"Oh my," Wes stopped, clearly surprised. So many thoughts began running through his head about the entire last week, about Angel and Spike being so upset with her because of her apparently just letting Fred die. Hell, Wes was even angry about that too, but he never wished Buffy would become a vampire. Despite the void between Angel and Spike and Buffy right now, they needed to know about her. "I need to call Angel," Wes said.

Faith shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, Wes. Giles was calling everybody, I'm sure he called them too. They already must know."

"Yes," Wes scratched his head. "I guess you're right."

"Now come on. It's time for you to meet your new trainee."

* * *

The thing was, back in L.A., no one knew about Buffy's death. Angel and Spike were oblivious to the fact, thinking everything was the same as it had been, with the minor exception of both of them being incredibly angry because of the decision Buffy made. Giles wasn't going to call them, Willow and Xander were too occupied to think of them, and Wesley, Faith, and everyone else were under the impression someone else would tell them about Buffy.

But no one did.

"So, what do you think?" Buffy questioned with a grin. She ran a hand through her new hair style and color. There was something about it that felt _right. _

"I like it," Vamp Master told her. "It's very different. Sexy, even."

"That's what I was going for."

"Very well." He got up and kissed Buffy right on the mouth. Again she was appalled by how much he seemed to like her.

_Shame I'll have to kill him soon, _she thought to herself. _Actually; no, killing him won't be a shame. It'll be a blessing. Then I can run things on my own the way that they need to be ran. Oh, I can't wait. Patience, though, patience. It'll all become reality soon enough._

"News of your turning seemed to go over rather well."

"Yeah, the first vampire Vampire Slayer really went over well. You, mister, definitely made the right call when you were drinking out of me."

"Yes, I did," he stated openly. "And the fact that you are now known as Buffy my beloved Queen doesn't hurt a bit."

"I guess not," Buffy shrugged.

"And you really are the Queen," he continued, beginning to annoy Buffy. She wished he would just shut up, shut up, _shut up! _Oh, she couldn't wait until he was dead and gone. "I care for you a great deal. I think we could really make this work, now that you've moved on past those two vampires with souls."

Buffy contained herself from smiling at the thought of Angel and Spike. She couldn't wait to get her hands on them. She didn't necessarily agree with the statement of having _"moved on past" _Angel and Spike. No, she was still indeed very caught up on them and couldn't wait until she met them again face to face. Except this time, there would be no happy reunion. There would be death. She'd pay them back for not even listening to her, not bothering to hear her side of the story about what really happened.

"To prove my loyalty and faith to us, I have something very exciting to show you, Buffy. It's revolutionary and surprising and I know you'll love it."

Buffy was, needless to say, intrigued. "Okay, what is it?"

He grabbed her hand. "Come with me and I'll show you."

He led her down the hallway and up some stairs. They went all the way to the top floor (the house was three stories) and then up into an attic. The attic was dimly lit and generally empty except a single stand that was lit up with a suspicious blue light. On the stand was something that appeared to be a small metal box, maybe the size of Buffy's hand.

Vamp Master slowly led her towards it. It was so shiny that, had they been alive, they would've been able to see their own reflections in it.

"What is it?" Buffy asked, no longer amused. It looked like an ordinary tiny metal box.

"It's one of the most powerful objects in the world."

"Hm. You'd think it'd be bigger."

"This isn't a joke, Buffy," he turned serious. "This is completely real. This device has the power to do something so realistic it's almost unreal. What do you know about time travel?"

"Not really possible," Buffy said. "Unless you made a wish to a vengeance demon, I suppose."

"More or less. But this device is _very _special."

"No," Buffy shook her head. "Don't tell me it's a… A time travel device?"

"More or less," he repeated. "It claims to own the power to travel through time twice. Once to go wherever you want to go—the past, future, whenever—and another time to bring you back to your original time. After those two times are used, the device is dead."

"I take it you haven't used it yet?"

He shook his head.

"Where did you _find _this?" Buffy exasperated, staring at the box, having a new appreciation for it.

"I read through many, many ancient books written by one of the most powerful witches in the world. Being more powerful than anyone before her, she created this box with the power of time. Unfortunately, after a certain amount of time, I believe it's what got her killed. Luckily, it hasn't been used yet. And it was created hundreds and hundreds of years ago."

"Then how come I've never heard of it?" Buffy was a bit skeptical, still.

"There is only one copy to the book which holds the location to this device. It fell into the right hands, which led to my hands. And now, here we are. One of the most powerful devices in the world right in front of us, Buffy."

She could tell he wasn't giving her anything truly specific about where this device came from. How suspicious. Oh well, that was fine. She didn't need to know. All she needed to know was that it was here for her to get if she ever needed it. Because once Vamp Master was dead, surely this device would belong to no one else but her.

* * *

Illyria's hands wrapped around Spike's throat as she swiftly picked him up and threw him across the training room in one fluid motion. He hit the wall—_hard—_and fell to the floor with a moan. Apparently Illyria still wasn't done. Using her time warp she suddenly appeared right in front of Spike, her hand in a fist, getting ready to punch down.

"Stop!" Spike yelled at her, not for the first time. This time, something seemed to click. Illyria froze in place, looking down at Spike menacingly. "What the bloody hell are you doing? This is _training, _not _beat Spike to a bloody pulp." _He stood up.

"I do not need to train," Illyria spoke. "I've been trained and you've already assessed my powers."

"So what? I thought we would come here and get some anger out, not actually hurt each other."

"You need to specify your desires next time."

"Oh, believe me, there will be no next time."

Illyria turned and started walking away. Near the door, though, she stopped. Without turning to Spike she said: "How do you know I have anger?"

"A human could smell it off you, Blue. Besides, it doesn't take a genius to figure out you didn't want Wes to leave."

"And why are you angry?"

Spike's initial thought was shock. Did Illyria actually care about someone else's feelings?

And then his thoughts ran to Buffy. The reason he was angry. The reason behind so many other things. He still couldn't get over what happened. It was just so un-Buffy like, to let someone die. And because of him? What did he ever do to her? Okay, maybe try to kill her a few times, but that was all in the past. The worst part was that she wouldn't even get on the phone and tell Spike why she wouldn't help. She had Giles do it.

Then there was Angel's phone call to her, which Spike knew about. She tried to deny what she did, like she didn't do anything wrong. It was horrible.

Because of that, Spike hated thinking of Buffy. He hated that a part of him still missed her, because it shouldn't. All Buffy ever did was cause him pain anyway. If there was ever a sign to let go of Buffy forever, this was it. He was trying to let go of her, too. But lately, the last couple days, he'd felt…odd. Like he was missing something.

Or maybe he was just being melodramatic.

He didn't answer Illyria's question because he didn't know what to say.


	9. Chapter 9: The Time is Now

**Warning**: Rated T for now, but may change later to M for darker subject matter.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 9: The Time is Now

Even though she was a vampire, Buffy still always carried a stake around. She wasn't sure if it was because she still had some Slayer tendencies or if it was just a habit. Either way, there was always a stake in her back pocket. It was such a deadly object—especially to her now—but she couldn't seem to let go.

It had been days. Days since Buffy's turning, days since Willow and Xander arrived in England (although Buffy didn't know it), and days since she'd seen that time travel box thing. In those days, she hadn't slain a single vampire. The stake was almost useless, burning a hole in her back pocket. But every night she kept it close to her, closer than anything in her life. More or less, she was always prepared.

This night should've been an exciting one, or so Vamp Master said. Apparently there was going to be some "ground-breaking" news. They were going to a special meeting place where _many _of his followers would be and he was to announce a new plan. What that new plan would be surrounding, nobody (not even Buffy) knew. It could be something viciously evil, continuing his plan to take over all of vampire kind, or it could be something else, something simple. Buffy was excited to hear it. It didn't matter because Buffy would be killing him soon, she just didn't know how far in the future.

The day had yet to officially end. It was about sunset, and soon the moon would be up high in the sky and Buffy and Vamp Master and everyone else would be leaving. Buffy couldn't wait. She was feeling quite puckish tonight.

She'd killed. There was no denying that. Most of the humans she'd drunken out of she'd drunk to the point where there was no hope of survival for them. She just couldn't bring herself to stop drinking, the blood was so good. Plus, the feeling of a life draining in your arms was breathtaking. Buffy couldn't wait to kill again.

She sat patiently, waiting for the night to come.

* * *

Xander searched through the cabinets in the kitchen. With every passing second, he was getting more and more agitated. There had to be some here, somewhere, because they couldn't go any longer without it.

Coffee. Giles, Willow, and Xander had only slept in little increments of time. Either they were too nervous to sleep or too into the long, grueling process of finding Buffy's soul. They drunk a lot of coffee to keep them awake and energized, but eventually all of the coffee was gone. Xander was looking for more. So far, no luck.

Over the course of the past few days, Dawn only came out of her room to go to the bathroom or eat something. When she came out, she didn't speak to anyone, despite them attempting to speak with her. Then she'd go back to her room.

It was sad to Xander. Losing Buffy really took a number on Dawn. It was okay, though. Buffy's soul would be back soon.

Not too long ago, Willow finally found Buffy's soul, lost and trapped with all the other souls. That was what took her so long to find it. It wasn't cursed, like Angel's, so it wasn't easy to find. Thankfully she found it and did some magic and brought it down where it was now being held in a magical jar from which it could not escape from. The next step was to put it back inside Buffy, but Willow insisted she take a break from all the magic.

The break caused exhaustion to come over them. Thus leading to the mad hunt for coffee.

"Are you sure you don't have more?" Xander questioned Giles, still searching through the cabinet.

"Yes," Giles said simply. "I didn't realize I was to stock up when you guys came."

"Well, you should've known," Xander scolded jokingly.

"I'll go pick some up," Willow offered, walking in to the kitchen. She didn't look too well. She looked pale and tired, and her hair was a bit of a mess. Too much magic, Xander supposed. If it wasn't absolutely necessary, Xander would feel bad for Willow, but they both understood that it was what needed to be done.

"No, I'll go," Xander stopped her. "You rest, Will. You've had a rough couple of days."

Willow gave a small sigh and smile. "Xander, I'll be fine. Back before you know it! I just really feel like I need to get out of here for a short period of time, you know?"

"Be careful," Giles warned her, looking out the window and shaking his head. "It-it's almost dark."

They all knew what that meant. Vampires, including Buffy. Along with finding Buffy's soul, they also did the quick little ritual that made it so Buffy couldn't come in again without being invited. They all felt safer that way, at least for now.

Willow grabbed some money and left.

Giles and Xander followed behind her until they were in the living room. They both sat on the couch with a sigh. Sitting on the table in front of the couch was the jar. It looked ordinary enough, aside from the glowing white light inside of it. Buffy's soul. If they were to open the jar it would go flying away.

Xander stared inside of the jar, at the soul. It appeared just as a bright white light that eventually became blinding. Still, he couldn't pull his eyes away. All he could think of was Buffy. He was thankful he wouldn't have to see her in her evil vampire form. She would be back soon, a vampire with a soul. A vampire with a soul…

Slowly his eyes began closing as he started drifting off to sleep.

Giles saw and thought he should wake Xander, but then thought better of it. Let him sleep. Then, when Willow returned they'd wake up and do the spell. Then, if everything went right, Buffy would be back with them.

* * *

Willow went to a little coffee shop nearby, prepared to buy _very large_ cups of coffee for her and Xander and Giles. She was sure they'd take the largest cup they had.

While she waited in line, her mind wandered. Actually, her mind stayed in one place, in one frame. Buffy, Buffy, Buffy. What else could she think? The pressure was really on her. She knew she'd be able to restore Buffy's soul (she'd done it to Angel twice), but that didn't stop her from being nervous. Every few seconds she'd glance out the window and saw it getting darker and darker outside.

She shut her eyes and told herself it was all okay. She didn't have to worry. Buffy was a vampire searching for blood, it wasn't like she was going to come in a coffee shop looking for coffee anyway.

Finally, she was next in line. She ordered her drinks and then waited for them to be ready. They gave her a tray which had slots where the drinks were held. It was the largest they had. The containers the coffee came in almost didn't fit in the slots, and they were pretty tall and heavy.

Willow paid and then turned around with her coffee. Giles and Xander would be happy with this. She walked to the door. About halfway there, the door opened. Willow happened to look in that direction rather than at the coffee to make sure it didn't fall. Her eyes met someone's she hadn't seen in such a long time that she nearly dropped the coffee. Thankfully, she didn't. That wouldn't have been good.

They stared at each other for a few seconds until finally he walked over to her. Willow felt glued to the floor.

"Oz," she said quietly, with a smile.

"Willow," he said back with a little grin of his own. He glanced at her hands. "Got enough coffee?"

"Oh," she laughed, probably harder than she should have. When she almost dropped the coffee again, she stopped laughing, got control over herself. "These-these are for, um, Giles and Xander. And me. The third one's mine. I mean, I didn't pick mine out or anything weird. We'll just-just drink them…randomly." She paused. "What are you doing in England?"

"Just traveling," he said casually. Willow noted that he looked good, hadn't gained a lot of weight or anything. Despite everything, he still made her nervous. Unbelievable. "What about you?"

Willow remembered why she was here. Buffy. She needed to get back to the apartment immediately and do the spell and then Buffy would be back.

"Well, um…" Willow didn't want to explain everything right now, right here, but she didn't want to just cut him off either. It was good to see him, the old friend. He was an old friend of everyone's, not just hers, so she should tell him about Buffy, right? He deserved to know. "Do you want to come back to Giles's?"

Oz frowned. He looked down at the floor, avoiding her gaze. "I don't know."

"Oh," Willow giggled. "Not like that or anything. It's just that there's kind of this, uh, emergency with Buffy. I-I figured you'd want to know about it? If not it's okay, I understand, sorry for making things awkward. I should just go."

"No, wait." He stopped her. "Emergency?" he raised an eyebrow.

She nodded.

"Alright…alright. I'll come. Giles will be okay with it?"

"Sure," Willow spoke, feeling a little nervous, although she wasn't entirely sure why.

* * *

Night finally fell. While Willow and Oz were arriving back at Giles's (a bit awkwardly), Vamp Master and his followers were waking up, ready to go out. Buffy, of course, had been up for a while, and was just looking forward to going out. In fact, when the night came it was hard for her to contain herself to wait for anyone else.

She did wait, though. She did.

It seemed to take forever for everyone to get ready. Eventually, though, they started leaving. Vamp Master came to Buffy.

"We should be leaving," he said, extending an arm for Buffy to wrap hers around. "Tonight will be a very special night."

They left, arms linked together. It felt so…weird to Buffy. She shouldn't be this close to him. It almost felt wrong in a way that was kind of hard to explain. Oh well. They kept making their way to their destination. It was an old, rundown warehouse in a seemingly isolated part of England, seemingly crawling with other vampires. Or maybe they were just here tonight for the sole purpose of Vamp Master's announcement, whatever that may be.

The old warehouse was extremely dark, but they all could see perfectly fine. There was an extra story on it with a balcony-typed thing where someone on the top floor could look down at the people on the bottom. It reminded Buffy of some fancy palace or something rather than a warehouse. Maybe the building had more of a story then it seemed.

Vamp Master began making his way up the steps. Buffy stayed behind.

"Aren't you coming?" he called, looking back at her, surprising her.

"Do you want me to?"

"Well, you are the Queen, correct?"

With a grin that was sort of fake, she made her way up the stairs with him.

At the top, on the balcony-like thing, they watched as vampires filled the building and saw some standing outside, still being able to hear what was going on inside. It was a full house. The vampires (Buffy looked around and saw there weren't only vampires here, but various other demons as well) were talking noisily, waiting. Buffy could feel the excitement, it was almost tangible. Her stomach growled, the excitement getting to her, making her hungry.

"Everybody," Vamp Master uttered, not even very loudly. Yet it was enough to cause everyone to immediately quiet down. He flashed an evil grin. "Please welcome the astounding Queen, Buffy."

Rounds of applause followed. Buffy smiled. Everyone was looking up at her, almost admiringly. Everything was going pretty wonderful.

And then it happened.

* * *

Willow bringing Oz back was a bit of a shock to everybody, but they didn't let it get to them too much. Giles and Xander explained the situation to him as Willow prepared for the spell. With seemingly perfect timing, they finished explaining just as she was ready to do the spell.

She began. It all went well, no dark hair, no veins on face, what could go wrong?

She got further into the spell and when it was time to release Buffy's soul, they did. Then the next thing they knew it was flying off and Willow sighed heavily. It should be heading towards Buffy now, ready to enter her and get rid of the evilness that was vampire Buffy. All they could do now was patiently sit and wait for her to return.

* * *

The light that was Buffy's soul seemed to enter her so quickly, without any warning. Suddenly Buffy was falling to her knees and feeling like her insides were being torn apart, like they were at war. The new lightness inside of her was fighting the darkness that had just started, _just started, _to come out. It was painful.

It wasn't the same type of situation like Angel's, _cursed _with a soul rather than just having his soul put back inside of him. It wasn't the same situation as Spike's, either. He won his soul back, wanted it back.

Not Buffy. She didn't want the soul and was not specifically _cursed _with it, causing the darkness in her to fight the soul. She wasn't sure who or what was winning, but the war inside of her _hurt _and the darkness was fighting, fighting with all its might but all Buffy wanted was for one part to win so this pain could be over and she wouldn't have to endure this battle of light versus dark.

The darkness inside of her was stronger, more determined than the soul. It was starting to come out on top, enveloping the soul, causing it to become darker, losing its light, losing its goodness. Buffy's soul was losing, overcome by all the inner darkness.

Evilness was rising in Buffy, higher than it ever had before.

And then…

It was over. All the pain, all the fighting inside of her, it was all over just…like…that. The darkness had won, corrupting what was left of Buffy's soul.

All the vampires and demons below her were silent, looking up with shock, wondering what was happening.

Vamp Master was extremely concerned. "Are you alright?" he asked frantically.

Buffy looked around, a bit confused. She felt the stake burning a hole in her back pocket.

_The time is now, _she thought.

Suddenly, as swift as a Slayer who was also coincidentally a vampire could manage; she jumped up, kicking Vamp Master in the face and doing a back flip. He stumbled backwards. She grabbed the stake out of her back pocket, ran forward, and hit him right in the chest, right in the heart. He looked genuinely surprised. And then he turned to dust.

The slayage wasn't a result of goodness inside Buffy. It was a result of darkness.

Buffy turned towards the crowd, who were also shocked.

Buffy grinned widely. "Now, you all belong to me."


	10. Chapter 10: Just Wait

**Warning**: Rated T for now, but may change later to M for darker subject matter. There is some darker matter in this chapter, but not too much for M I don't think.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 10: Just Wait

Hundreds of blank stares looked up at Buffy, confused, trying to collect all the information in their heads about what just happened. She just killed their leader. But…why? And what was going on with the bright light that seemingly went inside her? There were so many unanswered questions racing through the crowd.

Buffy saw their confused faces. "What are you idiots staring at me like that for?" Buffy questioned.

One particularly brave vampire by the simple name of John spoke. He was tall and thin, not really good looking. Just by the sight of him you could tell he was _extremely _loyal and would do nothing to disrespect his leader. And that leader, for the most part, had been Vamp Master. He'd been everyone's leader who was now just betrayed by the so-called Queen. Of course they'd be angry. But Buffy had it all planned out.

"Why'd you do that?" John asked.

Buffy smiled easily and paced for a few seconds, pretending to ponder. "He was weak," she finally concluded. "Not deserving of a horde of followers. If anyone is deserving, _it's me. _I've been killing vampires for years, hunting them, killing them, again and again. I know more about our kind then even most vampires would know." She peered down at the vampire John. "And if you say one more word you'll wish you'd never been unborn."

John was not frightened by what was most likely a meaningless threat. "But he was _our leader. _How could you kill your own sire?He had such high hopes and plans. We admire you, the first vampire Vampire Slayer, but not enough to want to follow you."

The moment he stopped talking was the moment Buffy moved. She jumped from the balcony-typed thing faster than even vampire eyes could see, using her vampire and Slayer quickness. She landed and caused a surprised stir around the room. John looked up and down, confused. Before he could even blink, Buffy used the stake she had used to kill Vamp Master and plunged it into John's chest.

No, she did not kill him, did not stab his heart. That would've been too kind. Instead she struck _just below_ his heart, not causing enough pain to kill him, but causing enough pain for ripples of shock to run through his body. His mouth opened wide in a silent scream, his eyes crying out for help. Nobody dared walk towards them.

Buffy pushed the stake deeper into his chest and John let out a gasp. The stake was so close, so close to his un-beating heart he could feel it.

"You got anything else to say?" Buffy asked. John shook his head no.

As fast as she could, she ripped the stake out of his chest. He fell to the ground, grasping at his wound that would heal soon enough. She kicked him in the side, causing him to fall and lie on the ground.

"Get up," she ordered. He remained face down on the ground. "I said, get up!" Buffy reached down, grabbed his hair, and yanked him up until he was standing. She still held on to him. "Let him be an example to all of you," she shouted. "If you want to be defiant, go ahead. Just know it'll cost you." She threw him back to the ground. "Anyone else?" Buffy challenged.

As a sign of admiration and loss (and maybe even fear?) they began to bow down to her. Buffy began walking through the crowd, silently, her shoes echoing. She wanted to make sure _everyone _knew who was boss.

That was when the revelation finally occurred to her. She had a soul. And it'd done nothing but make her darker inside. But how did her soul even find her in the first place? It wasn't like that kind of thing just happened. There was only one explanation: Willow. Willow the witch was in England, the old-Buffy's loyal best friend trying to save the day. Well, Willow would pay for it. She would definitely, definitely pay.

* * *

There was a knock on Dawn's door. She didn't bother acknowledging it with a response. If the person was determined to talk to her, they'd come in anyway.

Just as she suspected, the door opened. Dawn was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling in the dark. The door opened, causing a flood of light to make its way into the room. The figure of Xander stepped in.

"Dawnie?" he called. "Are you awake?"

She didn't answer.

"Well, you should know. Willow did it, restored Buffy's soul. We're waiting for her to return."

This news caused Dawn to sit straight up and speak for the first time in what seemed like forever. "Really?"

When Xander said that yes, it was true, Buffy should be back to being Buffy, Dawn jumped out of bed and ran to Xander, leaping into a hug. And she started crying. Xander could feel the tears of joy on his neck. They remained this way for many minutes, absorbing all the happiness they could until Buffy was to return.

* * *

"So England, huh?" Giles asked Oz awkwardly. He, Oz, and Willow were all sitting on the couch in silence. Nobody knew what to say. It was quite odd for Oz to just show up and then come here, but Giles didn't mind too much. He was an old friend and Buffy would be happy to see him, maybe.

"Yep," Oz stated simply. Being here was very strange for him, also.

"You like it?"

Oz shrugged wordlessly as if to say: "it's okay."

More silence ensued. Willow hoped Buffy would get back soon so they wouldn't have to endure this awkwardness much longer. Willow wasn't even entirely sure anymore what possessed her to bring Oz back to Giles's. Maybe it was a mistake. Either way, he was already here, so it didn't matter, she wasn't going to ask him to leave.

Xander and Dawn came out of the hallway. There was a noticeable difference in Dawn. She had a slight smile on her face and she was standing up straighter than before.

"Hi," she spoke shyly as everyone else stared at her. She now noticed the addition of Oz and was about to ask what he was doing here when there was a slow knock on the door. Everyone jumped up, a bit on edge. Who else could it be?

"I-I'll get it," Giles offered. Everyone looked nervous. "Just relax. It'll all be okay."

Giles walked towards the front door, hands shaking and a few chills running down his spine. If this was Buffy… Gosh, what would he say? She would be back, presumably, and now Dawn was recovering, which meant soon his lie to Willow and Xander (and now Oz) would come out. He hadn't told them about his and Buffy's argument and about what'd been done. He'd have to come clean soon.

He opened the door slowly, warily, although he wasn't sure why. It wasn't like Buffy could come inside anyway, since they'd done the little ritual to keep her out until invited in again.

It was Buffy standing outside the door. She looked up at Giles. Her eyes were sad, watery with tears. Her hair was disheveled, in all different direction, like she'd either ran her hands through it many times or gotten into a fight. Plus it was oddly short and a different color, but Giles figured it wasn't something he needed to worry about right now.

"Giles I'm so sorry," she whispered. She tried to step forward but couldn't come inside.

"It's alright," Giles said, thinking hard. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "It's bad, Giles, so bad. What I did to you…and Dawn… And I'm so hungry, Giles, so hungry it hurts." She grasped at her stomach.

Giles could tell she was definitely sorry. Her soul was back and everything would be okay. She needed to come in. "Buffy, come in. Everyone's here."

Buffy stepped in slowly, looking around the apartment as if with new eyes. Giles brought her over to where Willow, Xander, Oz, and Dawn were. Willow was instantly on her feet and hugging Buffy. Buffy hugged back, tears starting to fall down her face.

Xander was next. Then Dawn approached her slowly, but eventually gave in and hugged Buffy harder than she'd ever been hugged before. She and Oz said hi a little awkwardly, unsure of what to say after all those years of not seeing each other.

"How are you feeling?" Willow asked Buffy, stepping in front of her.

"Willow, thank you. You put my soul back. I-I owe my life to you."

"Oh, it was nothing," Willow waved it off. "It's just good to have you back."

"Yeah. It's good to be back. I can't believe this happened. God, we wouldn't be here had Giles not let Fred die."

"What?" Xander asked. Everyone suddenly looked up at Giles. He swallowed hard, so hard it hurt, and his heart was pounding harder and harder and harder in his chest.

"Fred's dead?" Willow questioned.

"No, it's not like that," Giles tried to recover. And he saw Buffy flash him a look. A look that was not Buffy. "It's not her!" he shouted in realization. "Back away! She doesn't have a soul."

"Giles, what are you talking about?" Buffy played innocent. "I do have a soul. Willow put it in me."

"Giles, what's going on?" Willow wondered.

"It's true," Dawn spoke up. "Fred's dead." She hadn't known who was dead before, but if Buffy said it was Fred, then Fred was dead.

"I should go," Buffy continued. "Giles doesn't want me here. I'm a vampire, a monster, just like Angel and Spike. I'm surprised he isn't disgusted with you, Willow and Oz, monsters the both of you. And who could forget Dawn the Key?"

"Buffy, what are you _talking _about?" Willow cried.

Suddenly Giles stepped forward, whipping a cross out of his pocket and bringing it closer to Buffy. She backed up instantly. If it collided with her skin, she'd burn.

"Leave," Giles ordered. "You're still not Buffy."

Suddenly Buffy laughed. And then faster than the eye could see she ran to Giles and knocked him down and then took Xander in her hold. He let out a cry in shock. She switched to her game face. She could hear his blood running through his system so deliciously, waiting for her.

Before she could attack, Willow muttered a few words, sending Buffy flying backwards and hitting the wall with a loud bang. Xander ran over to them. Dawn began screaming again, just as she had last time. There were even tears running down her face. This made Buffy laugh again.

She was too fast for Willow to have time to use her magic to stop her. She jumped on Willow, tackling her to the ground and punching her hard enough to either kill her or knock her out.

Oz was the fastest to react. He grabbed the fallen cross and ran towards Buffy, placing it up against her skin, causing the imminent appearance of smoke and a burning sensation. Buffy yelped and jumped back. Oz knelt by Willow who was luckily starting to regain consciousness.

Dawn stopped screaming.

"Look what you did," Buffy shouted at all of them. She was still with her vampire face, attempting to frighten them. "You added a soul. And guess what it did? Made me so much better. You all did this to me. And you don't realize that I could kill you all. If you really think you could take me, come on; hit me with your best shot. You're just lucky. I let you live, for now. But not forever. Just wait. Just wait, just wait, just wait. Just know that this is Giles's fault. What, you didn't know about Fred? You didn't know about the argument? Well, it looks like you guys have a lot to discuss. Oh," she giggled, "you might want to check down the hall."

Buffy started walking away, knowing she'd achieved what she wanted. Her plan never was to kill anybody (not yet); her plan was to _tear _them apart, their little gang. This new development with Giles would surely cause much needed drama. Her soul would cause new developments to. They had to decide what to do with her. Some would want to kill; some would still want to save. That would for sure pull them apart. Plus the little gift for them she'd left in the hall.

She ran out of the apartment and then out of the building, getting away as fast as she could.

Xander followed slowly behind and peered into the part of the hall that wasn't visible from the apartment door. He gasped. There was a dead body lying there with minimal blood because Buffy had drunken it all. And even worse, he recognized the body, everyone would. A Slayer, one of the old Potentials named Shannon who'd come to England as well. There was no doubt she was drained and dead.

Xander walked back inside, closing the door and locking it. He looked at everyone in the living room. They were not good. Oz was still by Willow, helping her sit up. She had tears running down her face. Giles was looking around, appearing devastated. Dawn was standing completely still, completely dazed.

"Shannon's dead," he uttered the words, but no one seemed to hear him.

They were a mess. And things were about to get so much worse.


	11. Chapter 11: The Split

**Warning**: Rated T for now, but may change later to M for darker subject matter. There is some darker matter in this chapter, but not too much for M I don't think.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 11: The Split

Xander allowed a few tears to fall, thinking of everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. He tried to wrap his mind around what had actually happened. Buffy came around and fooled them all, at least for a minute there. Then she'd attacked. But…but how? She had a _soul, _didn't she? Or did Willow's spell not work? Either way, she was angry and attacking them and threatening to kill them eventually and releasing information about Giles and killing another innocent Slayer, Shannon.

After enough time passed for everyone to regain their composure, Xander entered the living room. Giles was cleaning his glasses, appearing nervous. Oz was standing by Willow, nearly comforting her. Tears were falling down her face. Buffy's attack on her really seemed to affect her badly. Dawn seemed to have gone back into a shocked phase, staring off blankly.

"Shannon's dead," Xander said slowly, quietly. There was no need to speak loudly. Everyone was silent anyway. This time they heard him.

They all knew Shannon, except for Oz. She was a nice enough girl, a good fighter. And Buffy had killed her by drinking all of her blood. God, Shannon didn't deserve that.

"I thought her soul was back," Dawn spoke through a clenched jaw, surprising everyone.

Willow wiped a few tears away and sniffled. It felt like crying was all she'd done the last few days. "I-I did. I think. No, I _know _I did the spell right. Buffy has her soul."

"So what you're saying is it didn't help," Oz concluded.

"It must've changed her in a way we didn't expect," Giles said, putting his glasses back on. "It made her evil. Much eviler than before. She attacked me before, but she hadn't killed anybody. And now…" He sighed.

"Giles…did you let Fred die?" Willow asked. She hated asking it because she knew the consequences. She already knew what the answer was, she suspected. Plus, she wasn't an idiot. Buffy's plan was fairly obvious. She said so many things that clearly she wanted what Giles did revealed. The question was: What did Giles do? Why had he lied to them?

Giles didn't want to come clean. He was tempted to tell them what he told Angel and Spike. But hell, what did it matter anymore? It was time to tell the truth. That was the only thing to do now.

"Not too long ago I got a call from Spike." They asked questions about how Spike was alive, just had Buffy and Dawn did, and when Giles explained he wasn't sure _how, _they moved on. "Their friend, Winifred, was in danger of dying. Apparently an Old One was inside of her and taking over. I don't know how much any of you know about Old Ones, but I know quite a lot. There is absolutely _nothing _that could've been done to save her unless they wanted the death of millions. Yet they asked if we over here could research anything, just in case. I…look. You all know Spike and Angel. They've been like-like a plague in Buffy's life, taking over and affecting her decisions. And you know how Spike treated her so horribly. I didn't see it right to bring that back into Buffy's life. I told them we would not help Fred and that they should never call again. I told them Buffy said she didn't want anything to do with them so that the information that they shouldn't call really sank through."

Willow's eyes met Xander's. Both were shocked and trying to gather all the information.

"That wasn't your decision to make," Willow said.

"Well, I made it. But Buffy found out. Angel called and apparently wouldn't hear her side out. We had an argument that night. That was…that was the night she was turned." Giles shook his head, but no one was sure at what exactly.

"I hate Angel and Spike as much as anybody," Xander spoke up, "but you're telling me you blamed Fred's death on Buffy just because of your own grudges with Angel and Spike? Giles, if she didn't want to talk to them, she wouldn't have. And now, because of a stupid argument, she went out and got turned into a vampire?"

"Xander, I-"

"No!" Xander was getting worked up. "Our best friend is a _vampire! _Not to mention the fact that you lied to us about the truth. Buffy deserved better from you. We all did! But it's too late. She's a vampire, a vampire with a soul at that. But she might as well not be."

"Do you even feel bad?" Willow went on. "The Buffy we know is dead because of this. She's dead because you lied."

"I still stand by my decision," Giles said honestly. "I just wish it had a different outcome."

Willow remembered what Buffy said, that if he was so against Angel and Spike than why wasn't he against her, Oz, and Dawn? "What about me?" Willow asked. "I've affected Buffy's life, not always in the best ways. Should she not have talked to me either?"

Finally, Giles began to look worried. "No, Willow, no. What you're saying is all Buffy. What she said has gotten into your head. We can't allow that."

"Sorry, it's just a little hard to trust you," Xander said sarcastically. "Giles, you lied to Buffy. You lied to Angel and Spike. You lied to us. What if you're still not telling the truth now? We can't rule it out."

"Fred was a good woman," Willow told them, branching off of Xander's words. "Even if there was nothing that could've been done, Angel's friend died and then you told them Buffy let it happen. He must be devastated right now. Has anybody even told them about Buffy?"

"What's done is done," Giles tried to move on. "What we need to focus on now is the present. Buffy's gone. Even with her soul she's…she's taken a turn for the worse."

"Oh, great, what's your genius solution for that?" Xander asked. "More lies?"

"Buffy's my sister," Dawn stopped the back and forth with Giles and Xander/Willow. "There has to be another way to save her."

"But how?" Oz questioned. He really seemed to have just jumped into this situation so normally that it was like he'd been here all along.

Something poked and prodded at the back of Giles's mind. It was unspeakable, unthinkable, and yet there it was. The solution. Only it was a horrid solution that would be sure to cause more controversy over them. They didn't need that right now, anymore. They needed to agree on something before more badness came.

"There is no way," Giles said. "We gave her a soul and it didn't work."

"I thought that was supposed to be a fool-proof system," Willow opinionated. "I mean, it worked with Angel and Spike."

"Apparently different situations. We have to face the truth of this matter."

"And what would that be?" Xander questioned.

"There-there's no hope." Silence followed Giles's words. Was he right? It sounded pessimistic and horrible, but what if it was true? Or was there hope? Both ways, Willow refused to believe there was just nothing they could do, and she knew Xander and Oz and Dawn would feel that way too. At this point, she didn't know what Giles would feel. "We either let her live like she is now with the threat of her looming over our heads for…well, ever," Giles continued. "Or we…we…we rid of the threat."

"Well, we can't kill Buffy," Xander responded immediately. For some reason he thought of Anya. No, there was no way they were going to lose anyone else forever. "So there has to be another way to save her."

"Now wait," Giles stopped him, knowing that once he said what he was going to that there would be no going back. "What else could we possibly do? I'll tell you: Nothing. And you saw Buffy. She killed another Slayer. She'll be back for us."

"Are you _seriously _suggesting we kill her?" Willow asked.

"I'm suggesting there may not be any other possibility."

"No!" Willow cried. "Buffy wouldn't want us to give up."

"If there's even a little bit of the old Buffy left, she would want us to give up, she'd want us to end her," Giles defended himself. "Remember her worst nightmare? Being a vampire was the nightmare, soul or not. We'd be doing her a favor. It's not like I want to, but we might have to."

"We can't kill her," Dawn said slowly. But deep inside she had to wonder what her sister would truly want. For the moment, anyway, she didn't believe Buffy would want them to just give up.

"Giles, you're out of control!" Xander exploded, the anger of the entire night finally getting to him fully. "First lying, now this?"

"What do you want from me? What do you want to do?"

"We can think of something!" Xander closed his eyes. "I just… I can't even look at you right now, Giles. Gosh, I-I need to get out of here."

"I'll come with you," Willow walked next to Xander and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Me too," Dawn said next.

"Yeah," Oz weighed in. "Me too."

They all looked at Giles with a bit of hope in their eyes as if to say he could still take what he'd said back and be forgiven.

"Fine," Giles said. "Do what you want. But I'm staying. I'm going to do something, do what Buffy would want."

"What do we do about Shannon?" Willow finally posed the question.

"I-I'll call the police," Giles offered. And then there was another call that he'd have to make.

* * *

Buffy paced back and forth. A half-empty bottle of holy water sloshed around as she walked around, thinking. She was in a small room with the door closed. The room was generally empty aside from her and the vampire named John, who was tied down to a table in the middle of the room. He was making groaning noises, like he was in pain. Good. Let him be in pain.

"You know, it's nothing personal," Buffy said, stopping in front of the table. John looked up at her with a bit of fear in his eyes. "It's just that if I let you off the hook that easily, they would all look at me as weak. And I'm not weak. In fact, I'm the strongest vampire anyone will ever meet." She began untwisting the bottle to the holy water. "Just don't worry. In a couple hours it'll all be over and then everyone will know I'm the real deal."

"Please don't," John begged. "I-I understand. I'm sorry. I'll follow you, do whatever you want. Please, just stop!"

"No can do," Buffy smiled like it was the easiest thing in the world. She flung the bottle upwards a bit, causing many drops of water to fall onto John's bare skin. He let out many angry yelps of pain. She capped the bottle again. Steam was rising off his body on all the places the holy water touched. Other parts of his skin had burn marks on them that would heal eventually.

"Please!" John screamed this time.

"Fine." Buffy placed the holy water on the ground and grabbed her stake. She neared John. Then she struck him in the chest, as close to his heart as she could get without killing him.

Faster than he could see, Buffy grabbed the holy water, unscrewed the cap, and poured just a little down his throat while he was yelling. Steam started to rise, making him incapable of screaming. He was making a chocking face that made her laugh.

"Come on," she told him, "you can take it. It's not enough to kill you. Although, maybe just a little more and it would've been. Hm. Something to try next time."

Minutes passed until John could finally speak again (and the removal of the stake did help a bit). "I was a fool. I see that now. Please, just let me go. There have to be so many more important things you could be doing right now rather than torture me."

Oh, a reasonable approach, Buffy realized. She chuckled and decided to play along. "And what else could I be doing right now, John?"

"W-well, your friends. Don't you want to go…kill them or something?"

"Yawn. My plan for them is in motion this very moment, and mind you that plan is not to kill them."

"But what about those two vampires, the ones with souls? Angel and Spike."

This was enough to make Buffy pause. Angel and Spike, Angel and Spike. Did they even _know _that she was a vampire? She doubted Giles told them, but surely by now Willow, Xander, Dawn, and Oz knew that Giles had lied about everything and most likely didn't tell them about her. Well, still, she supposed it was possible they still didn't know. But it mattered a lot, more than she could say. If they didn't know, then she could go have some fun. But if they did, then the element of surprise was gone, and that was what she would've cherished most.

John did have a point, though. Buffy had already begun devising a plan for Angel and Spike. A great plan, she might say so herself. When would be the correct time to go ahead with that plan? While her "friends" in England were now dealing with new revelations and drama, maybe now would be the perfect time to go to Angel and Spike. She could mess with both groups of her "friends," including her ex-lovers.

Oh, jeez. John had actually gotten into her head. Now she was seriously considering going to L.A. because the thought of seeing her ex-lovers was making her excited. She couldn't wait to see the look on their faces.

_I can't go yet, _she told herself. But then: _Why the hell not? I can go wherever I want whenever I want to. My plan for Giles and everyone else is beginning, just getting started. That doesn't mean I should just have to sit around and wait for them to be ready for her to come in and destroy them even further._

"You're right," Buffy said. "I do want to go see them."

"Then-then go. I'm not important."

Buffy grinned, her mind racing faster and faster, the thought of seeing Angel and Spike causing her to become so much more excited. Oh, she wanted to see them, and she wanted to see them soon. She wanted them to see her.

Buffy left John behind in the room. He called out to her for her to untie him or something, but she let him be. He wasn't important now. She needed a plane. She was headed towards L.A.

But first, a few stops.

* * *

Once the police were called and they got statements from everybody (they all claimed they had no idea who she was or how she got there) and left, Willow, Xander, Dawn, and Oz left too. The apartment suddenly felt too big and empty for Giles. Maybe he'd been making a bunch of mistakes all along.

No, he couldn't afford to think that way. Just because he and Buffy had an argument didn't automatically make it his fault she got turned into a vampire. She probably would've gone out patrolling that night anyway and turned into a vampire. He grabbed a drink to calm himself down and try to relax just a little bit. Then he went and picked up the phone. There were other people who would understand, who would know they had no choice. Giles wished there was another option, but there was none. They had to kill Buffy. He was just doing what he believed she would want.

He dialed and then waited.

"Hello?" Faith answered the phone.

"Faith. Where is Kennedy? And Wesley?"

"Doing a little book work, I think. Wes wants to teach Kennedy about all the demons and such. I think Ken's more focused on the fighting part, though, so she's not enjoying it. Why?"

"I need you to come to England," Giles told her. "Buffy… Faith, there's nothing left but pure evil."

"No. You're saying we have to take out Buffy?" Faith did sound sad and distraught.

"I'm afraid there's no other option. I figured if anybody could get the job done, it'd be you and Kennedy."

"Yeah, we'll be there as soon as possible," Faith said hurriedly and then hung up.

* * *

Unfortunately for them, Buffy had plenty of resources, thanks to Vamp Master's previous reign. She was already in a plane with windows made out of glass similar to the ones at Wolfram & Hart—sunlight wouldn't affect her in here. So, as they got ready to come to England and as the other group planned to find a way to save Buffy, they had no idea she was already long gone. It was okay, though. She'd be back. She just wasn't sure of when. And for now, she wasn't headed to L.A. just yet. There was one stop she had to make first. France.

* * *

The Slayer named Vi brushed her red hair, getting ready for bed. It'd been an excruciatingly long day, doing at that slaying and stuff. She was in charge of a small group of Slayers who just dealt with demonic activity in this little area of the world.

A doorbell rang, causing Vi to jump and flinch and accidentally hit herself in the head with her hairbrush. She laughed it off stupidly. The doorbell was just so loud in this seemingly dead of night. And who would be here, anyway? It wasn't like she was expecting anyone. Maybe there was some big news, some dangerous activity going on.

She hurried down out of her room and down the stairs to the front door. Vi flung it open and found someone standing on her doorstep she would've never expected to see.

"Buffy," Vi said excitedly. It was great to see her! But also, if she was here, that probably meant bad news; like a world-ending apocalypse or something. Buffy was, after all, pretty much the "leader" of all the Slayers, so to speak. Plus, she had no idea about Buffy being a vampire.

"Vi," Buffy smiled. "Well, what are we doing, standing out here? Aren't you going to invite me in?"


	12. Chapter 12: For You

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 12: For You

The United States of America. Man, it felt like _so long _since Buffy had been here. But here she was, in the plane, flying over some city, and it was amazing. It was still day outside, unfortunately, so the plane would have to land and then she'd have to stay in it until it was dark, but it was just a small price to pay.

She still wasn't in L.A. yet. Even with her gift of the drained body of Vi, Buffy wasn't done. They were Angel and Spike after all, there were two of them. Therefore, there would need to be two gifts.

At first, Buffy had considered possibly turning Vi, but decided against it. There was no way in hell she wanted another vampire around as powerful as her. So, she'd killed her.

Now she was flying over Cleveland, where another potential victim was lurking. If only the incompetent day would go away and night would fall, then Buffy would move along and get done with what needed to be done. Only once she had the victim would she be able to finally go to L.A. to Angel and Spike. She was so, so, so, so, so looking forward to it. There was a plan set in her mind that would literally change _everything—_had everything not been changed enough recently.

After a little while longer, the plane landed in a remote area far off from where Buffy's destination was. But that was okay. When night fell, she'd be able to run there and back in time. She decided to get some sleep while there were still a few hours of daytime left.

She fell asleep, and woke up again once it was night. The vampire pilot of the plane was going to wait in the plane until she came back.

Buffy ran faster than any vampire had run before, thanks to her vampire and Slayer speed. In about an hour, she was where she needed to be and hardly sweating. She searched around before just walking to the door. If news had already spread about Vi's disappearance, then the other Slayers may have been on the lookout. Thankfully she knew where she was because, as Buffy, she knew generally where all the Slayers were located.

So, what would be the plan of attack? Just walk up and knock on the door like she'd done with Vi? Well, it wasn't like she was going to get in any other way.

Buffy waited patiently at the door. She could hear a little bit of a commotion inside, and then running footsteps. In less than a minute, Rona was unlocking the door and throwing it open.

"Buffy," Rona spoke, clearly surprised. The tone of her voice told Buffy that she still had _no _idea about her new status. "I can't believe you're here!"

"Yeah, it was kind of sudden," Buffy told her.

"Well, what's up? I haven't heard of any pending apocalypses on the hellmouth or anythin'."

Just then, a phone inside of Rona's house rang. She glanced to where it was and then back at Buffy. "I gotta get that," she told Buffy and then rushed back into the house. Before she answered the phone, she looked over at Buffy, still standing outside. "What are you doing standing out there? Come inside." With that, she picked up the phone.

Buffy sauntered in like it was the most normal thing in the world. She took a look around the house with her eyes and ears. There was no one else but Rona.

"Oh, hey!" Rona answered her phone excitedly. "Yeah. Why? Is something going on?"

Buffy tuned in to the phone to hear who Rona was talking to.

"Listen, Rona, whatever you do, don't invite her in." Willow's voice on the other end. Buffy felt like laughing. Looks like they were trying to save the day.

Fast, as fast as she could move, Buffy ran to Rona, who wasn't very far away, and ripped the phone from her grip. She flung it across the room. It hit a wall and shattered. Oops. Connection lost.

Rona took a step back, looking at Buffy with a new fear in her eyes. "Buffy, what's going on? What did Willow want? Why…why'd she tell me not to invite you in?"

"Why do you think, you idiot," Buffy snickered. "Come on, you're a Slayer, figure it out." She watched the realization hit Rona's face. "That's right, that's right."

Like a natural born Slayer, always prepared, Rona brought a stake out of her back pocket. Somehow, this motion did nothing but make Buffy laugh. Did she really think _she _would be able to stake Buffy?

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Buffy taunted.

* * *

Willow looked at the phone in her hands worriedly. Suddenly she and Rona had just been disconnected. She tried to call back, but nothing was happening. Oh no, oh no. This was bad. Really, really bad.

She, Xander, Oz, and Dawn were in a little shop, using the phone. They weren't sure where they were going to go after their split up with Giles, so Willow decided they should stop and make a few phone calls to a few important Slayers who could get the word out about Buffy, just to be safe. At the death of Shannon, they couldn't risk any other deaths. Unfortunately, Faith and Kennedy hadn't answered (they didn't know that Faith, Kennedy, and Wesley were headed to England) and Vi didn't answer. Rona was the only one to answer so far.

"Rona. Have you seen Buffy?" Willow asked immediately, not wasting time with pleasantries. Willow hadn't expected Rona to say that yeah, she had seen Buffy, so she wasn't sure why she asked the question. They still thought Buffy was in England. Apparently not.

Before Willow could say much else, the phone was disconnected. She turned to everyone else, her face one of shock.

"Willow," Oz spoke quietly, worriedly.

"Buffy's in Cleveland."

"What?" Xander frowned. "Will she be coming back?"

"I-I don't know. I don't even know why she's there, Xander. But she's with Rona."

They all knew what that meant. Rona would be lucky if she came out of this alive. Dawn's jaw clenched in anger. Gosh, what was Buffy doing? What could they do to save her?

"Why is she in the US anyway?" Oz asked the important question.

"Angel and Spike," Xander stated immediately, and Willow realized that he was right. Why she was in Cleveland was a mystery, but surely enough she'd be making her way to L.A. sometime in the near future.

They had to warn Angel and Spike. But it was different; nobody knew the phone numbers to their offices at Wolfram & Hart. Still. Willow picked up the phone and called a directory which would lead her to the Wolfram & Hart offices in L.A. A woman with a cheery voice answered the phone with an upbeat: "How can I help you?"

"I need to speak with Angel right now," Willow said frantically.

"Angel?" the woman echoed.

"Yeah, the vampire with a soul. Please, it's a real emergency."

"I'll transfer your call to his assistant."

Willow didn't have time to argue. The phone went to some hold music. Luckily, a different woman picked up though.

"Angel's assistant Harmony speaking."

Well, Willow could definitely admit she wasn't expecting that. "Harmony?"

"Willow?"

"Wh-what are you doing working for Angel?"

"What? A vampire doesn't deserve some steady work?"

"No, it's just…" Willow gave up. This wasn't important right now. "Can I speak with Angel? Please?"

"I'm sorry; he's not taking any calls right now. Try again later."

Rudely, like Willow should've expected from Harmony, she hung up, leaving Willow standing here hopelessly with the phone in her hand. Ok, well, so much for that. She thought about trying to call again, but Harmony was too stubborn. They weren't going to be telling Angel or Spike about Buffy over the phone.

* * *

Angel was sitting in his office, brooding, for lack of a better word. There was just something…off. It just didn't feel right. Wolfram & Hart hadn't felt right ever since Wesley left, and even if he would be back soon, it wouldn't be the same. Fred's death had really affected him badly. Angel just wished there was something he could've done to help.

He wasn't taking any calls right now. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to some stupid client about nothing of true importance. And he wasn't in any mood to talk, anyway. Things didn't always work that way, though, seeing as Lorne walked in to the office.

"Hey, Angel-cakes. What's the brood-master thinking about tonight?"

"Nothing," Angel said defensively. "What's up?"

Suddenly Harmony walked in to the office as well. "Boss, I just got a call from Willow? I told her to call back at a different time."

"Thanks Harm." Angel was glad. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody who might've spoken with Buffy recently. For all he knew, Willow could try to talk with Angel to try and defend Buffy or something, and Angel wasn't in the mood for that.

Harm walked out, and Lorne continued to talk about some kind of emergency in the entertainment department. It wasn't something majorly important, but Lorne was freaking out. Angel couldn't blame him. Ever since Fred's death and Illyria's rising, Lorne had been throwing himself in any work possible, as if to keep himself from thinking of Fred. It was sad. But it was necessary. Lorne was trying to cope in his own way.

Angel hoped they wouldn't lose anybody else, because he could imagine how it'd shatter all their spirits.

* * *

Faith, Kennedy, and Wes arrived in England. It came a gargantuan shock to Wes when he heard what was going on. He hadn't expected, of all things, to be going to England. According to Faith, Giles needed them here though.

So far, he hadn't exactly gotten along with Kennedy too well. She was stubborn and didn't have the excitement to learn what he had to teach her. All she wanted to do was get to the fighting skills that could help her get better. There was more to just fighting, though, and Wes was determined to teach her.

Apparently that would have to wait after they got back from England.

He suggested that he stay behind and that they go, but Faith convinced him that as Kennedy's trainer, it was a good idea for him to come along as well. Even though he agreed, he was still hesitant. He knew what was going on here. Buffy, a vampire. Giles, calling for two Slayers who were extremely powerful and dedicated. There could only be one explanation.

Giles thought that Buffy would need to be killed. It saddened Wesley. He didn't want Buffy to be gone forever. He thought of Angel, his friend. He must be devastated by the news of Buffy right now. Spike would be devastated too, he supposed.

But then, Wesley had no idea that Angel and Spike still had no idea about Buffy, and that Buffy was approaching L.A. rapidly.

* * *

The fight came out fairly easy. Buffy did have to admit, though, that with a couple more years of training and fighting, Rona had potential to be a worthy opponent. But as she was now, she was nothing. Buffy killed her and drained her within minutes. Then she brought her back to the plane, where they hurried off to L.A.

She wished she could've had better gifts. Spike would recognize the two Slayers from when they were potentials, but Angel would have no clue who they were. Hopefully, if everything went as planned, though, they'd try to work together to solve the "mystery."

It only took a few hours until they arrived in L.A., and it was still night. They landed the plane behind an extremely large mansion that the pilot claimed the vampires of L.A. who followed Vamp Master stayed. It was utterly magnificent, too big for words. It was old—but not too old where it was rundown—and black. Spiked chains dangled all around, inside and out. And it was hers now. She took a long look around inside all the empty rooms and forever-stretching corridors. The place was bland, and she'd need to change a few things to meet her needs, but it was fine for now. She wanted to get started with her new plan, and then she could do other things.

With the bodies of Rona and Vi, Buffy made her way to her destination.

* * *

Angel attempted to sleep, but found it nearly impossible. His mind was going back and forth, back and forth, and he couldn't stand it. Buffy, Fred, Wesley. His mind was an endless repetition of those names.

Since it was the middle of the night and pretty quiet, Angel was surprised when he heard a loud bang coming from his office, as if something had been thrown on the ground or knocked over or something. He sat up in his bed, knowing he should go check it out, just in case.

He threw on a shirt and then made his way to the elevator. When he reached the office, he threw the light switch.

Angel saw the body immediately.

He rushed over, hoping there would be a way to save this person lying on the floor. But no. She was dead, long gone. Her blood was completely drained, and there were puncture wounds in her neck. A vampire. No doubt. There was something white lying across the African American woman's stomach. A piece of paper. Angel reached over and read the message scrawled on it:

_For Angel. I'll be seeing you. From… _No name.

* * *

Spike kept a small apartment in L.A. for the meantime. It was just some place he used to sleep, and he was sure he'd leave it soon enough, once he moved on from this place.

He was getting in late, having gone out and fought some demons. He felt like getting his anger out, and he got that anger out by punching and killing a few demons. And it worked. He was already feeling better.

At his apartment, he instantly smelt something inside. He opened the door and turned on a few lights, and saw a woman he recognized.

Her name was Vi. She was a Slayer. And she was completely drained of blood.

Spike shook his head. Who would kill her and then leave her in his apartment? What vampire had enough power to kill a Slayer anyway?

That was when he noticed the note on Vi's body.

_For Spike. There'll be more to come. From…_


	13. Chapter 13: Teaming Up

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 13: Teaming Up

The door to Angel's office flew open, slamming against the wall, as Spike stormed in. In all honesty, he wasn't sure why he was comin' to Angel's office. It wasn't like he could help Spike. But still. The fact that a Slayer—a Slayer who had been trained by Buffy back even before she was a Slayer—was complete drained by a vampire was a big deal. And there was something off about Vi's death that Spike couldn't place. Plus there was that creepy note to deal with. There'll be more to come? What did that even mean?

All in all, as much as Spike didn't want to admit it, he would need Angel's help to figure this out. There was a vampire out there strong enough to kill a Slayer, why would he stop with just one? Spike knew what it felt like to kill a Slayer (even two), and it was amazing. No, the mystery vampire wouldn't stop, and Spike wanted Angel to know about what was happening.

Angel was sitting at his desk, looking off, doing nothing (_like usual_, Spike thought to himself). He barely even glanced up at Spike's storming in. Then, finally, as he stopped in front of Angel's desk, Angel looked at him.

"So here's the deal," Spike got right down to it. "I got a problem. As much as I would like to deal with it on my own, I need your help."

"Spike, now's not really a good-"

"Here," Spike pulled the note out of his pocket and threw it on Angel's desk. It landed on the top of a stack of papers, upside down. At first, he didn't move. But then he snatched the note up and read it.

His face got pale (if it could even get any paler?). He frowned and seemed to read the note again. For Spike, that was actually a good sign. That probably meant he knew who wrote the note.

"Spike, where did you get this?" Angel asked sternly.

"Oh, I got it last night," Spike started off nonchalantly. "You know, attached to a body of a dead and fully drained Slayer."

Angel handed the note back to Spike. Similar to Spike, he then reached into his own pocket and pulled out his own little slip of paper. He gave it to Spike It read: _For Angel. I'll be seeing you. From…_

The _"From…" _was the same. That was the signature. A different note, with the same ending.

"Who the bloody hell gave you this?" Spike was angry. Someone was sending both him and Angel notes? Why?

"I wish I knew," Angel shook his head and then stood up. "Follow me. I'll show you something."

They left the office and went into the lobby. Spike had a feeling he knew where they were going. The lab. He was a bit confused on what Angel would want to show him in there, but the direction they went in definitely told him he was right. They were going to the lab.

Inside, Angel showed Spike the body of the woman he found in his office last night.

"What did you do?" Spike questioned Angel.

"Nothing, you idiot," Angel rolled his eyes. "My note was attached to hers, just like yours. She wouldn't, um… She wouldn't…"

"Be a Slayer?" Spike finished. "Yep, this here is Rona. Another Slayer Buffy personally helped trained while she was still a potential."

"I had the science teams running her through any system to try and find out who she was. Guess I can call that off now."

"So there's a connection. Two dead Slayers, both of them left for us with two notes on them, personally addressed to us. This is clearly about us."

"Don't be so selfish, Spike."

Spike frowned. "Oh, selfish? Alright then. What's your brilliant theory?"

Angel was silent. He had no theory. Deep inside, he knew Spike was probably right. This was about them.

"What vampire could kill two Slayers in one night?" Angel asked.

"A pretty damn good one, I'll give 'im that."

"This isn't a joke."

"Do I look like I'm laughin'? Seriously, Angel. Someone has to be really strong to do this."

Angel scratched his neck in thought. "I don't know. They were fairly new…"

"Fine. Whatever. Believe what you want to believe. I'm gonna go do something about this." He began to walk away.

"What are you doing?"

"We need to find out who did this and brought them to us!"

"How?"

Spike wished he had an answer.

* * *

Giles had informed Faith, Kennedy, and Wesley on the extremity of the situation, and now they were thinking of plans. It pained Giles, it _truly _did, but what could they do? As much as he didn't want to be in a fight, Willow, Xander, Dawn, and Oz were wrong. They had no other choices. Why couldn't they see that?

They didn't know where Buffy was and they really had no way of finding her. Either way, the plan was simple enough. Faith and Kennedy would have no choice but go out patrolling, and if they saw Buffy then they knew what they had to do.

Wes, meanwhile, wasn't so sure about all this. Giles, Faith, and Kennedy all seemed ready to jump into action, no matter the consequences. It struck him odd that they weren't even trying to make up with the rest of the group or even phoning Angel and Spike for extra help or somebody.

Angel and Spike…they knew, right? Faith believed they did before, but Wes hadn't talked to Angel since he'd gone to Rome. He doubted they didn't know, but if they knew, wouldn't both of them jump on the plane and get here as fast as they could, despite the new argument between them? It just didn't seem right. Buffy was a big part to a lot of people's lives, and Giles shouldn't just be deciding if she should die or not just because her soul hadn't helped. There had to be other ways to save her.

"Maybe we could do a locater spell?" Giles suggested to Wesley. "It might not tell us exactly where she is, but it'd give us a general overview of where she could be."

"I don't know…" Wes spoke. Giles looked at him and frowned. "It's just that I feel we may be acting rather hastily. There has to be another way, I'm sure."

"You didn't see her, Wesley. There was pure-pure evil in her eyes, nothing else. She promised she'd be back to kill us, basically. And she had a soul. Believe me, if there was another way, I'd be jumping at it, but there is not one that I see. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Do Angel and Spike know? At Wolfram & Hart there are plenty resources that maybe could-"  
"They know," Giles lied. "And no offense to your _evil _law firm's ancient resources, but if you could not find anything that could've saved your beloved friend Fred, what makes you believe there'll be something that can save Buffy?"

That stung, and Giles knew it did. This was what he wanted, though. A little part of him felt bad for hurting Wesley, but he needed to do it so that Wes wouldn't be tempted to call Angel or Spike or anybody else.

Wesley stayed quiet after that, not knowing what to do. This was wrong, and he knew it. But Faith and Kennedy didn't know it. No, in fact, they seemed ready to go into a fight. That wasn't good. It couldn't possibly be.

Wesley had left L.A. to get away, but suddenly he was feeling like he wanted to go home now more than ever.

* * *

While Angel and Spike searched for clues and information about the two dead Slayers (and found close to nothing), Buffy was taking some time to stand her ground. There were followers of Vamp Master that stretched all the way out here, in L.A., but since the news of his death and her rising hadn't quite fully risen just yet, she needed to make sure everyone knew who was boss.

They gathered in the mansion, and she informed them all about the situation. Luckily, she didn't have any fighters or arguers like John in England. Or, actually, not so lucky. Buffy found she actually enjoyed torturing disobedient ones.

Night fell after a while, and Buffy thought she should go paint the town red—literally and figuratively. With a semi-large group of other vampires, they walked the L.A. streets looking for potential victims.

Buffy found a guy who looked strangely like Angel. Tall, dark hair and eyes, handsome. Plus he looked like someone who could brood really well—just like the vampire with a soul himself, right? So she'd chosen a victim. She separated from the group and followed him down the street.

"Mister?" she called after him until he turned around.

"Yeah?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I need your help with something."

The man glanced nervously to the side. Nobody was around them. "With what?"

"Well, you see, I have this friend, and you guys look just like each other. No joke. And I was thinking you could help me surprise him."

Hurriedly, before any more words were spoken, Buffy attacked. She was faster than anything, and she dragged him into an alley before he even knew what was going on. And then her face changed and she was biting his neck and there was blood but for some reason he couldn't help but think about how good it felt to get bitten and drunken out of.

But Buffy didn't want him dead. She opened her own wrist and dropped as much blood into his mouth as she could. She couldn't believe it'd taken this long. Her first siring. Because she wanted a surprise for Angel and Spike. If they were just to see her, how boring would that be?

Buffy had a good plan now, one that would be completed tomorrow night, if everything went correctly.

Oh, she was excited.

* * *

Angel and Spike found nothing all day and night. At least, not what they were looking for.

They got some information, some rumors, about that new rising bag guy—Vamp Master, or whatever. There were rumors that he'd been staked and someone else had taken over.

They'd gotten no names, though, mostly because the vampires in L.A. didn't exactly know about Buffy yet, and if they did then they weren't talking about her under her own strict orders.

So, in short, Angel and Spike didn't find what they were looking for. It was disappointing.

But even if they didn't know it yet, tomorrow things would change. There would be an abundance of differences. Tomorrow, they were going to get one of the greatest shocks of their long lives.


	14. Chapter 14: The Killings

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 14: The Killings

Willow, Xander, Dawn, and Oz were in a hotel. After the long activities of the night before, they were all tired and really had nowhere else to go. They waited and waited but received no call from Angel. Willow took that to mean Harmony didn't give him the message or he just really didn't want to talk to them.

Anyway, it was morning again. The start to a new day, and it probably wouldn't be a good one. They needed to find a way to save Buffy. The thing was; none of them knew how. She had a soul. Really, what else could be done? Well, there had to be something, because there was no way they were going to resort to killing her like Giles had suggested. There had to be a way. Buffy was dead, sure, but the real Buffy wasn't gone, she couldn't be, she had to be in there somewhere. They just had to find her.

Willow was the first to wake up. Oz was short behind her. They stood awkwardly for a little while, not sure if they had anything to say. Finally, though, Willow decided they should talk. While everyone was asleep, it was probably best that they talked a little to really get a full handle on the situation. They stepped outside so as not to wake anybody and breathed in the morning air.

"You know, you-you don't have to stick around any longer," Willow told Oz. "You just kind of got dragged into this by chance. If you want to go you should leave now, I think. We'd all understand if you did. Things are just a crazy mess right now."

Oz had nothing to say at first. They were quiet for a minute or two.

"I'm not going to leave," he said shortly. "Buffy was my friend too. I want to help you guys…for her."

She smiled. "That's sweet. But really, we won't be mad at you or anything."

"I'm staying."

The tone of his voice was so final that Willow decided that he was telling the truth and he wasn't going to be leaving. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad. There would be some awkwardness between them, no doubt. That wasn't what this was about, though. They were friends. Or, at least, they could be friends. Because there was a big problem that needed to be dealt with.

They headed back into the hotel. Deep down, Willow was glad Oz was staying. It added an extra member to their little group to save Buffy. Plus, there was something just good about seeing him. It kind of reminded her of the old days back in high school. Jeez, that had been so long ago.

Back in the room, Xander was just waking up. Still, they remained quiet enough so Dawn could sleep. They could all imagine that it would be hardest for her, and why wouldn't it be? She lost her sister and then saw her undead sister attack people she cared about not only once but twice. Poor Dawnie.

Xander went out to go pick up some breakfast.

Eventually Dawn did wake up, and it was like she was in shock all over again. Silent. Secluded. Didn't even glance at Willow or Oz. But what should they have expected?

Willow tried running through their options again. She did it last night before she fell asleep and found nothing. But there had to be _something. _They could save Buffy. She knew they could. They'd saved her from worse, hadn't they? Like when she was in heaven, they brought her back. There had to be a way they could bring her back from this too.

Willow would find a way. There would be no possibility of giving up. And no matter what, she decided she was going to do anything in her power to get Buffy back.

* * *

While Wesley and Faith were still sleeping, Giles and Kennedy were awake. Last night, Faith and Kennedy went patrolling and found nothing but a few of Buffy's followers. Unfortunately, they gave no hints to her whereabouts and there were too many of them to fight to or have an actual "conversation" with them.

Since Wesley had refused to do a locater spell with Giles last night, they couldn't find Buffy. Giles disliked how difficult Wes was being, and he regretted asking him to train Kennedy already. Sure, he was doing him a favor by keeping him away from Angel and Spike, but he wasn't very much help when it came to here in England. Especially when he wouldn't help Giles with locater spells when he had the ability to do so.

They weren't going to get anywhere without magic. While Giles knew some, he didn't know enough, and he didn't exactly have plans on learning any new magic. And without Wes's help, someone else would have to help with magic that could locate Buffy or even help kill her.

He decided easily enough. Faith, while fully recovered, hadn't exactly been the most reliable ally over the years. Kennedy, on the other hand—even if a bit snotty and acts a little too much without thinking—was loyal. Plus, she was certainly strong enough to take anything coming her way, and she would do anything that needed to be done. If Giles could teach her just a little magic, enough to help with this whole Buffy ordeal, then that would be enough for them to succeed. It would really, really only be a magic, just enough to do a simple spell or two. She wasn't going to become a witch overnight, or anything.

Needless to say, he proposed the idea to Kennedy about teaching her some magic when they were up alone.

Kennedy wasn't sure what to think. It was kind of random to just ask her suddenly. In the past, she'd never really thought about learning any magic. Giles seemed certain that it was necessary, though, so what option did Kennedy have but agree. Besides, it'd be cool to learn some magic. It wasn't like there were any other witch Slayers out there.

So she agreed. She couldn't really say no, could she? It made sense. Plus based on how powerful Buffy was, magic could definitely help them in this desperate situation.

Giles took out some beginning spell books so they could start right away.

* * *

Many hours later, when night arrived in L.A., Spike came back to Wolfram & Hart. Despite their failed attempts to find anything last night, Angel was hoping that maybe tonight things could be different. There had been no more taunts or bodies left, but the notes still stuck with Angel.

Who would write a note to both him and Spike? Someone who had a vendetta against them from way-back-when, when they were evil? Well, it was possible. It wouldn't be the first time someone from their past showed up. Still. Did it really make sense for someone to kill two Slayers? The fact that both of the girls were Slayers showed some kind of significance. Unless, of course, Angel was reading too much into it and the simple fact was that the bad guy just wanted to show his strength by killing two Slayers.

Admittedly, guiltily, Angel thought about calling Buffy. He and Spike both still had anger towards her, but someone was killing her Slayers, so didn't she deserve to know that?

He refrained from calling, though. Whether that was a good or bad decision, he wouldn't know, at least not yet.

Spike was angrier at this situation than anything else. Someone was pretty much terrorizing them, taunting them, and he couldn't stand it. Plus, he killed two Slayers over the span of many years, but somehow this vampire managed to kill both in _one night? _How was that even possible?

It wasn't, not for any normal vampire, anyway. That meant this was something stronger.

As much as Spike didn't want to admit it, could this be related to that stupid Vamp Master guy they'd all been hearing so much about? Now that he was dead, who had taken over? It could've been anybody.

The entire situation was problematic.

"Do we just go out again?" Spike asked once he was in Angel's office. "Hunt the town, ask some questions? I want to find this guy, Angel. Thinks he's tough, killin' two Slayers in one night. Well I'll show him tough."

"I want to find him too, Spike," Angel said. "I don't know what to do, though. We checked all our resources last night, along with random vampires on the streets."

Just then, Harmony walked in to the office. "Boss, I was just leaving, but this guy showed up. He said he had some kind of information about the killings, whatever that's supposed to mean? Do you want to talk to him or no?" She ignored Spike the whole time. It was always so awkward seeing her ex Blondie Bear around the workplace.

_The killings? Could it possibly be…? Or just a coincidence, something totally unrelated?_

"Send him in," Angel instructed, thinking the guy was a client and "the killings" was maybe a project or something.

Harmony said okay, and told them she would send him in and then leave for the night. Spike didn't want to have to deal with this now, but "the killings," whatever that meant, surely did sound interesting.

A few seconds later, the man walked in. He was tall and muscular. Brown hair and brown eyes. Wore dark clothing. Kind of had similar features to Angel, but Angel didn't really think too much about it.

"What information do you have?" Angel asked instantly, not bothering with any pleasantries.

As if reading from a script, the man deadpanned: "The Slayers were a gift. The notes alarmed. Have you figured out the clue? Do you know of the leader?"

Spike was alarmed immediately. This guy…who was he? And who was the bloody leader? A part of him said he should jump and attack, while the other said he should be completely still. He listened closely and heard emptiness inside the man's chest. He was a vampire. The one who killed the Slayers?

"What are you talking about?" Angel questioned. "You know who killed those Slayers?"

"I know everything you'd like to know," the man continued. "And unless you want more to die in your name, you will come with me and I will bring you to the leader. There, all your questions will be answered."

It didn't take much for Angel to know he wasn't going to let more people to die in his name. He was going with the man to find out who this leader was.

Spike was wary. "Angel, it could be a trap," he urged. "What if he's just leading us somewhere to try and kill us?"

"We don't have a choice."

Spike wished Angel were wrong, but the simple truth was that he wasn't. There was no choice in the matter. They were going to go with this man to meet the leader.

The man brought them downstairs, to the parking garage. He walked in front of them and never turned around to see if they were following. No one else accompanied him. In reality, if Angel and Spike had wanted, they could have attacked him right then and there, overpowered him, and forced him to tell them what was going on. So why didn't they?

There was just too much at stake. The lives of other Slayers, according to this man. And Spike had to admit that he wanted to save his fight for this leader, whoever he was. No point beatin' up the lackey when he was leading you to the leader, right?

There was a dark limo in the parking garage. The man opened the back door and stood there until Angel and Spike got in. He threw two sacs after them.

"Put them over your heads," he ordered. "You won't take them off until I say so."

"Great," Spike mumbled sarcastically. "Bloody prisoners we are, and we didn't even give a fight or anything."

"We'll be fine," Angel told Spike, although he had feelings of doubt. What in the world had caused him to just follow the man's orders this easily? Why wasn't he fighting? He couldn't place why. Maybe it was the fact that this man kind of resembled Angel, in some odd way. There had to be a specific reason he was the only one sent to retrieve Angel and Spike, right?

Still, giving up this easily wasn't something they often did. But if Spike was yearning for a fight, he just had to wait. Once they met this leader and figured out what he wanted, that was when Angel figured they would have the big showdown. Patience was key right now.

The limo began to move. Angel and Spike sat in blind silence. Even if they had bothered to talk, they both knew the vampire would hear them anyway.

How long did it take? The drive seemed to go on forever, although in reality it was probably no more than thirty minutes, give or take. When the vehicle finally stopped, it was actually a shock.

The door was opened by the vampire. He instructed them to take the sacs off their heads and get out of the limo. They did as instructed.

Neither knew where they were, but they were impressed. There was an extremely large mansion in front of them, completely darkened. It was definitely old, but somehow modern looking. It was black and seemed to loom over many places. The vampire told them to go inside.

There was near silence inside the mansion. Once they opened the door, though, the smell hit them immediately. Both Angel and Spike, despite their horrid pasts, looked up at the ceiling in shock.

All around on the roofs chains dangled. Attached to the chains were either many different forms of weaponry (knives, axes, swords, etc.) or…bodies. Dead, human bodies. Generally fresh human bodies. The stink of blood was overpowering. They hung from the ceiling lifeless, staring, as pools of blood gathered on the floor. Simply, it was horrific. Based on the overwhelming smell, Spike knew that whoever did this had to do it all within twenty-four hours.

The mysterious vampire didn't seem fazed at all. He led them forward, through a few different rooms. Each room had bodies or weaponry hanging. Then they went up the first flight of stairs, and then the first room on the left. He told them to go in.

Angel was terrified, admittedly. What could he expect on the other side of this door?

It creaked open.

What they saw was surprising.

Buffy.

And two other vampires, each holding her back, like they were restraining her. At first glance, she appeared too weak to fight them off. She looked up at both Angel and Spike. It was almost hard to recognize her with that crazy brown hair with light streaks.

"Help," she whispered.

Of course, Angel and Spike leaped forward. Each took a single vampire that had been attacking Buffy as Buffy backed up to the other side of the room. Spike took care of his vampire angrily, keeping up with as many punches as possible. Who did this guy think he was, hurting Buffy? Oh, he'd make him pay.

Angel attacked his vampire and flung him across the room. But something wasn't right, he could feel, and he couldn't place it. As the vampire he was fighting hit his head on the wall and fell to the ground, Angel's mind was racing.

_Buffy. Weird, crazy colored hair. Silence._

_ Silence._

"Spike!" Angel shouted, almost unbelievably.

Spike punched the vampire in the face and sent him sprawling on the floor. "Buffy, are you okay?" he asked hurriedly, spinning around to look at Buffy. At the sight of her being held by those vampires, he realized he didn't know what he would've done if they'd hurt her, and he began to forgive her for the whole Fred ordeal. They could move past it. They _had _to. He loved her.

Then it clicked in his head. The empty silence. There wasn't a single heartbeat in this entire mansion.

Buffy grinned maniacally as both Angel and Spike stared at her, unable to speak anymore. They were trying to understand what was really going on here.

"Come on, boys," Buffy said normally. She then morphed her face until it was one of a demon's. "It took you that long to figure it out?"


	15. Chapter 15: Prisoners

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 15: Prisoners

Angel and Spike stared in horror. Neither could move, neither could speak as they looked at this new face of Buffy's; this demon face, this haunting face. The face of a vampire. It was frightening and unexpected.

Then the true realizations came. Not only was Buffy a vampire, but just looking at her gave pounds of information to the darkness that was inside of her. She _looked _evil. Consideration had to be taken into the fact that this mansion with bodies all over it was hers and that she was a leader to a bunch of evil vampires. She'd killed two Slayers, Rona and Vi. Just for Angel and Spike, like she was trying to play some sick game with them.

What had happened to her? Who had done this? Whoever it was, Spike swore that he would make that vampire pay.

"It shouldn't have taken you that long," Buffy continued, her vampire face still showing. "Although, I'm jubilant it happened this way. You know, with the no heartbeat thing, it could've gone either way with you guys."

"Buffy," Spike spoke cautiously. "Who did this to you?"

"Does it really matter?" With that, she switched back to her normal face, her innocent face. "He's dead now anyway."

Angel was too shocked to speak. There'd been some super shocking parts to his really long life. When Darla came back to life. When he found out about Connor. When Connor came back from that hell dimension. Those all had to be the most shocking parts of his life so far. And now this was added into the mix. Buffy was a vampire. The worst part was to think that she had died knowing Angel and Spike were angry with her to the point of unforgiving.

Of course! Buffy's soul. Why hadn't it been put back in yet? Surely Giles and Willow and Xander and—

Oh, gosh, Willow! She'd called Angel's office and he'd never called her back. If there was anything Willow would've called him about, this had to be it. And he'd blatantly ignored her call. Jeez, could he have acted any more stupidly?

Anyway, the point being, Willow and everyone should definitely have thought of putting Buffy's soul back in by now. So why hadn't they?

"So you're the ring leader here, huh?" Spike continued talking to Buffy. "Got all these vamps under your orders, got this giant mansion. Let me guess. Vamp Master. You killed him, Slayer."

"Well, it was only fair," Buffy shrugged. "He killed me, I killed him."

Spike wasn't sure if he should be glad that son of a bitch was dead by his own creation or sad that he wouldn't get the chance to kill him himself.

"Buffy…why?" Angel finally spoke. His throat felt raw, like it was the hardest thing in the world to speak. "Why kill Rona and Vi? Why lead us here?"

"They were presents, Angel! One for you, one for Spike. You should be thankful I'm thinking of you guys, giving the amount of more important things I have to do. I knew you wouldn't appreciate it, Angel, but Spike?"

"Not one bit," he shook his head. "I knew those Slayers."

"So that's soul's still ruining your mind, huh?"

"Yeah, well, apparently not yours."

"On the contrary," she retorted. "I actually have a soul."

Spike didn't know what to say. Obviously she wasn't being _serious. _Buffy would never do anything like this with a soul. Angel could detect the truthfulness in her voice, though. Not that that could be possible. A soul was a soul, and when you had a soul, you were less likely to do bad things. And when Buffy had a soul, she wasn't at_ all _evil.

"What are you talking about?" Angel asked. Spike was still trying to recover from the ridiculousness of her statement.

"I mean that I have a soul." Buffy said, and Spike stopped laughing. "The strange thing is, though, is that the soul didn't make me good. No, no, in fact, it made me very bad. Strange, isn't it? With you guys it did the exact opposite. Having a soul made you two think you are all savior-y and are the best of the best."

"Buffy, it doesn't make sense for a soul to make you worse," Spike tried to argue.

"Yes, yes it does, Spike. You see, my situation was quite different from both of yours. I wasn't _cursed _with a soul, so I can't lose mine. And I didn't _win _my soul, so I didn't want it. Instead, Willow just placed my soul inside my body. The darkness inside my vampire self must've been too dark, though, because there was like this war inside my body and…well…I guess we know which side won."

"The darkness trumped the good," Angel stated.

"Exactly," Buffy grinned.

Okay. Okay. Buffy, a vampire with a soul, evil. Both Spike's and Angel's minds were racing, thinking of any other ways to stop a vampire from being evil. They couldn't really come up with anything on the spot. But there had to be a way to save her. Neither would take no for an answer.

"So what do you want, Slayer?"

"Vampire-Vampire Slayer, to you," Buffy shot at him.

"What the _hell _do you want?" he screamed angrily. "To rub it in my—our—faces that you're a vampire? To show how powerful, how evil you are? Or do you still have a grudge against us sayin' we didn't want you in our lives anymore? What is it, Buffy, what is it? You want us to love you again? What do you _want?_"

Buffy paused. "Oh, Spike, you'll always love me. So will you, Angel. Do you really think I'd need to find a way to make you _want _that?"

She was right. Could either of them even possibly deny that?

"That's why you want to save me," she went on. "I'm sure you both are trying to figure out if there's a way too. And you're free to think about it and have all your little fantasies. But no. You won't be saving me any time soon. Why are you here, Spike? Because I want some fun. I can only mess with Willow, Xander, and the rest of the gang so much. Which reminds me. Spike? Angel? There's probably something I should tell you."

"What could you possibly have to say?" Spike asked.

"Giles lied to you. He blamed Fred's death on me…but no." Buffy's entire demeanor seemed to change, and for just an instant both Angel and Spike could see the old Buffy, the alive Buffy, the Buffy they loved. "I would've offered to help in a heartbeat—no pun intended. I would've searched through every book in the world to try and help you guys because I—the _living _me—loved you guys. One more than the other, yeah, but I'll get to that. I loved you guys. We have such a history together. I would've done anything to save your friend, even if I didn't know her. But Giles thought you two were bad influences on me, or something. He thought our relationships were toxic and destructive. Maybe he was right. I don't know. But he lied to you guys to get you to do exactly that which you did—forget about me. I was angry when I found out so I went patrolling but…it didn't go so well."

They knew they shouldn't believe her. She was a vampire now, a truly evil vampire, and truly evil vampires lied and played as many mind games as they possibly could. If there was anyone who knew about that, it was Angel. As Angelus, he'd played so many mind games.

Could it possibly be true, though? Giles had lied to them about Buffy saying she wouldn't help Fred? Neither was sure. It was possible, and then it wasn't.

But if it was true… If it was true, then was it their fault that Buffy died? When she found out the truth, she went patrolling and met her death, apparently. If they hadn't told Buffy they didn't want to talk to her anymore…if Angel had listened to her…they might not be here in this situation now.

He shouldn't assign blame yet. He didn't even know if Buffy was telling the truth.

For Spike, he was more on the side that he didn't want to believe it was true. So he'd deny it until he knew for sure.

"Well, I guess that's all for now," Buffy clapped her hands together. "I've had enough fun with you guys today. Given you some things to think about, I hope."

"Great," Spike moaned. "You gonna let us go now?"

Buffy frowned. "Oh, Spike, come on. You should know better than that. Let you go? I'm not letting you guys go anywhere. You're gonna stay in this mansion no matter what."

"You mean like a prisoner? No thanks," Spike snorted.

"Boys?" with one single call, the door to the room opened. There were vampires standing outside the room, a lot of them. Even Spike had to admit that there couldn't be a way to fight their way out of this one. There were too many of them. "You're going to do whatever we want you to," Buffy told them. "Bring them to the rooms," she told the vampires.

Like a giant wave, the vampires came forward, a bunch grabbing Angel and a bunch grabbing Spike. The next thing they knew, they were being dragged in different directions and brought into different rooms.

The room Angel was brought to was dark, but that wasn't a problem. It was extremely large and devoid of anything other than a couple shackles chained to the wall. They brought Angel there and locked his wrists around it. He tried to get away, to fight, but there was no hope. Buffy's minions were determined.

Spike was brought to a different but similar room. He gave more of a fight than Angel, but, again, there was no hope. There was no escape. Once he was chained to the wall, everyone left, and he was alone.

Both Angel and Spike were alone. They couldn't do anything, couldn't break the chains. All they were left with was their thoughts about Buffy.

* * *

Dawn was by herself also, but in a different way. Physically, there were plenty of others around her. Willow, Xander, Oz. They really didn't understand, though. They didn't understand the pain.

Okay, they were Buffy's best friends, but Dawn was Buffy's sister. She missed her sister immensely. Her sister was everything for her. She'd taken care of Dawn and helped her through every little part of her life. She'd sacrificed herself when Dawn was in danger.

Now she was evil. So evil a soul couldn't even help her.

Dawn was plagued with many questions. Was that kind of evil always inside of Buffy but just at bay before? Because now, even with a soul, she was more evil than before. Maybe becoming a vampire had just awakened the evil inside of her?

She shouldn't think like that. They could save Buffy. Willow had said it enough times that Dawn almost wanted to believe it. But really, what could they do? Find a spell? Do some magic? And then what? What if they did save Buffy? There was no way she would be okay with what she'd done as an evil vampire. And even as a good vampire she'd hate herself because being a vampire was her worst nightmare.

They couldn't save Buffy. But they couldn't kill her either. Which left Dawn wondering: What were they going to do?


	16. Chapter 16: Four Days

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 16: Four Days

Days had passed since Angel and Spike had disappeared. Needless to say, both Gunn and Lorne were extremely worried about the two vampires with souls. The first day, they had gone out and tried to question some resources to see if they knew anything. Nothing. Nobody saw anything, as if Angel and Spike had just randomly disappeared into thin air.

The second day of their absence, Lorne had talked to Harmony about the entire situation, and she gave a piece of information that would've been nice to have before. Apparently, a mysterious man had shown up the night they went missing, saying he had information. Gunn and Lorne tried to ask other people in the building if they knew anything about that man, but no one else had seen him other than Harmony, and she couldn't exactly give them that much information other than the fact that he was a vampire and had a slight resemblance to Angel except "way, way hotter."

The third day was hopeless. They didn't exactly have much information to go on. They tried to look through the video recordings of that night just to see if any strange vehicles had come in the parking garage that night mainly, but somehow all the cameras had stopped working around the time they disappeared. Of course.

And today was the fourth day. Neither Gunn nor Lorne really knew what to do. They couldn't find Angel and Spike alone. They tried calling where Wes was staying for some help, but no one was answering in Rome.

They thought of asking for Illyria's help in some way, but Illyria had been sulking since Wes left. Not in a crying weepy way, but sulking in the fact that she talked to no one and spent a lot of time picking fights. It was pretty amazing how much humanity she was showing involuntarily at the loss of Wes.

What were they supposed to do? They had no leads, they had no clues, and they had no idea. This reminded Gunn of oh-so many summers ago when he and Fred spent the whole time searching for Angel when he was locked in a box at the bottom of the ocean. They had nothing to go off of. So what could they do? There had to be a way to find them somehow.

"This could not be any worse," Lorne complained to Gunn. They were sitting in Angel's office, unsure of where to go or what to do. They tried looking around for clues, but found nothing. "What are we supposed to do without our champion? We've lost so many already and…and…Gunn, we need to find Angel, and Spike too."

"We shouldn't panic," Gunn said. He stood up and started pacing. "Let's go over the facts again. Two dead Slayers—one for Angel, one for Spike. They tried searchin' around for some information about who killed the Slayers but as far as we know, they never found anything. Correct so far?"

"That's right, sugar," Lorne confirmed.

"So then a few nights ago they're sittin' around in this office late at night, when Harmony comes in telling them there's a man who wants to talk with 'em. Harmony lets the man—or vampire, as she told us—in and leaves, and no one sees Angel or Spike again. So, presumably, this man is the key to their disappearance. What do we know about him?"

"Harmony said he was a vampire and extraordinarily hot. That doesn't narrow it down, much, does it?"

Gunn sighed and sat back down. He felt so damn _lost _and _confused. _They couldn't do this by themselves. Neither of them had much experience in tracking anything down. Gunn had been the muscle of Angel Investigations for years, and Lorne the moral support. How could they help in a search for the two missing vampires, especially when there were no clues?

They needed Wesley. There wasn't anyone else who could help. Unfortunately, Wes seemed to have taken a permanent break from them.

The only other person Gunn could think of for help was Willow. It was random, and they didn't know her very well, but a few days ago, Willow had called Wolfram & Hart to talk to Angel but he never called her back. Plus, she was a powerful witch, so she'd be a great help, right? They didn't really know how to reach her, though, and it wasn't like they were great friends or anything.

If they were going to save Angel and Spike, they'd need to think of something to do, and quick.

* * *

The magic Kennedy was learning was coming along nicely. She was a quick learner, and very astute. Giles actually rather enjoyed teaching her a thing or two, and she was indeed eager to learn.

Over the past four days, she'd done a lot of practice, and had some basic magic down. She could levitate a few things here and there, and she was learning enough that when the time came, she'd be a great help to Giles. Eventually, they'd be able to do the locater spell together, but Giles didn't want to rush her learning, just in case, so that left many more days of practice to come, sadly.

Kennedy loved the magic and gained a new appreciation for it. She definitely understood why Willow loved it so much now and how it could become addicting. There was just so much power, so much opportunity with the magic that it was crazy. There was a feeling of warmth she got inside whenever she did magic, even if it was just a tiny bit. That good feeling was the motivator behind her wanting to learn more. Also, the fact that her ex-girlfriend was extremely powerful helped. Kennedy thought that maybe, just maybe, if Kennedy became powerful enough, she could gain Willow's respect and they'd get back together. It was a hopeless fantasy, maybe, but oh well. Kennedy had her goals in mind.

Neither Wesley nor Faith said too much about Kennedy taking up magic. It was her choice, really. Faith thought it was kind of cool, and agreed that in the long run having a Slayer/witch would help, especially when capturing Buffy, even if they hadn't seen her yet (nobody knew that she'd left England and went to L.A. a while ago). Wes was also very neutral to the idea of her learning magic. It did strike him as ironic, though, that Giles had asked Wes to teach her about being a Slayer, and now he was throwing that out the window and teaching her magic. It got Wes thinking of the true motives behind why Giles had asked him to train Kennedy in the first place.

At this point, Wes didn't enjoy being in England, and he wasn't sure if this was worse than being back in L.A. and seeing Illyria's face every day. In hindsight, being with Giles, Faith, and Kennedy should've been better, but they'd done nothing but plot on what they were going to do once they finally found Buffy, and Wes didn't enjoy this. It made him uncomfortable. No wonder Willow, Xander, Dawn, and Oz had left, not wanting to be a part of his scheme to kill Buffy. If Wes had the option, he'd leave to.

The only reason he hadn't left was because he felt rather inclined to stay. He'd taken up a job to watch over Kennedy, and even if he wasn't doing so, he felt responsible for her, in a way (although not responsible enough to help Giles with magic doings). Also, Faith was here. After all the history between him and Faith, he couldn't leave her. She wouldn't admit it, but he could see she was hurt by the news of Buffy's turning. If she could, she'd kill Buffy to save her, and Wes wasn't sure what kind of damage that'd do to Faith, and he wanted to be around to make sure she would be okay, no matter what.

That night, Faith and Wesley went out patrolling. Giles wanted to teach Kennedy a trick, so Wesley was pretty much forced to go along with Faith, albeit no one really suspected they'd find Buffy. That was for the best, because Wes refused to kill her.

At Giles's, Kennedy was practicing a little magic, like usual. Nothing special, just a simple spell that would turn the lights on and off.

While she was practicing, Giles grabbed an alcoholic drink and drank it quickly. It burned on his throat, and yet felt so good. He needed a drink to do what he was going to do, though, because deep inside, he knew it wasn't the true "right" thing to do. He should be patient and wait for the right time. There was no more time, tough, in his eyes. Buffy needed to be taken care of.

He took a book that was hidden deep in a shelf and brought it to where Kennedy was practicing. He laid it on the table and sat down.

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

"Kennedy," Giles started off soothing, being a bit more manipulative than he was proud of. "Your magic is coming along nicely, you know. You are a fantastic leaner. Alas, while-while we are spending time here, teaching you, Buffy is out there killing an unknown amount of people."

"Faith and Wes are out there looking for her."

"It's not enough. And even if they found her, Wesley still refuses to use magic of any form to help us. I would try and help, but I'm too afraid. I-I know that's terrible to admit, but I am just not able to fight Buffy."

"It's understandable. You've known her for so long, been through so much… It must be very hard."

"That's why I'm teaching you magic, Kennedy. We-we may be running out of time, though."

She frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Buffy is so dangerous, Kennedy. And I don't want you to feel guilty if you can't learn in enough time. S-so, I have here an improper way to teach you magic. It's entirely your choice if you want to go through with this, I want you to know. If you don't agree, just tell me."

"What is it, Giles?"

"A spell I could perform." He rubbed a layer of dust off of the book. "Admittedly, it could be dangerous. This book is, well, known for darker magic. It would help us, though. It would help you learn magic much faster and become an expert in almost no time."

"But could it do something bad?" Kennedy questioned. "When Willow messed with dark magic, she-"

"I know what happened to Willow. But you are not Willow. Besides, I will not be doing anything bad to you. I will only be transferring thousands of pieces of knowledge of magic into your head that will be at your disposal whether you choose to use all of it or not. You will know how to do millions of spells, but you will still not have the ability and power to do them, being at the stage you are at now. You may become overwhelmed for a little while, but take my word for it; you will not become evil unless you choose to become evil. I have faith in you, Kennedy, and I know you would do no such thing."

"I don't know," Kennedy paused. "It sounds dangerous."

"You don't have to agree to it, as I said."

Kennedy thought for a minute. "So I'll know of the spells, even dark ones, but I won't have the power to do them?"

"Well, with time you may, but as for today or tomorrow, most certainly not. By transferring all of the spells into your head, it will only make things easier in the long run so you do not have to run to books or look up a spell whenever you need one. You'll know it instantly."

Kennedy wasn't sure what to say. On one hand, it would be useful. But on the other, she'd heard all about Dark Willow, and she knew that to increase her darkness Willow had absorbed all the dark magic and spells she could, much like how Giles was talking about. He did say it wouldn't be dangerous and she wouldn't turn evil. Still… Was it worth it? She wasn't sure what she was going to say.

* * *

Nobody knew Rona and Vi were dead. Their bodies were kept at Wolfram & Hart, so no news had spread. Although, at this point, nearly every Slayer had heard about their disappearance, along with the disappearance of Buffy.

Needless to say, rumors were flying around. Some had claimed they say Buffy as a vampire, some were saying all three missing Slayers were dead, and some were saying those three just went on vacation. Whatever was true, it didn't matter. Most of the Slayers, if not all, were starting to freak out. Buffy was pretty much their leader, she wouldn't have disappeared without a good reason. So what happened to her?

Paranoia was starting to set in. The rumors that Buffy was now a vampire was certainly getting into a lot of Slayers. There were rumors that she'd shown up at Rona's and Vi's and they hadn't been seen since.

Because of the rumors, because of the paranoia, the Slayers didn't know what to do. They started falling behind on their usual work. Because of their lack of focus, demon activity was rising. They didn't seem to notice, too busy worrying about the possibility of Buffy the vampire.

Slayers all over the world were calling everyone else, trying to hear if there was any news.

Once, someone got a hold of Willow, but before they could ask anything, Willow hung up. The truth was, Willow didn't know what she could say. She didn't know if they should tell everyone Buffy really was a vampire, because then they might all go crazy and start hunting to kill Buffy, and she didn't want that.

She hadn't answered anything from other Slayers since because she had absolutely no idea what to say.

The Slayers weren't stupid. They'd figure it out eventually. And when they did, Willow was sure all Hell would break lose.

* * *

Night was beginning to fall in L.A. Gunn and Lorne left to go out searching for Angel and Spike or anyone who could know what happened to them again. They were hoping that tonight, they'd find something.

Wolfram & Hart was generally empty. With the absence of the boss, there wasn't much they could do, so everyone had gone home.

Harmony had stayed until the night, though, of course. She couldn't go home in the daylight. It'd been the most boring day ever because she had nothing to do. Mostly, she sat at her desk bored, and tried to help Gunn and Lorne whenever they asked for it.

Surprisingly, Harmony actually wished Angel would show up somewhere so she wouldn't be bored at work, and she definitely missed her Blondie-Bear, even if she knew she shouldn't admit it.

With it being nighttime and most of the people already gone, Harmony got up from her desk to leave. She pressed the button to the elevator and waited for it to arrive.

The doors finally opened. Harmony was _very _surprised to see who was inside of it.

"Oh my God," Harmony's mouth fell open in shock. "Buffy, what is with that hair? I mean, seriously, there are standards!"

"Hey Harmony," Buffy grinned, stepping out of the elevator.

Remembering her phone call with Willow the other day, Harmony stepped back and held her hands up in surrender. "Buffy, wait, please don't stake me. I've changed, I swear! I'm no longer evil and-and I don't even drink blood anymore. Willow must've told you I was here, but I swear I'm good now. You have to believe me!"

"Stop begging," Buffy rolled her eyes. "I'm not here to stake you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah." Buffy reached over and grabbed Harmony's arm. "You're coming with me."

"Um, I don't think so." Harmony tried to get her arm out of Buffy's grasp, but Buffy was too strong. "Let me go."

Buffy punched Harmony to the floor. Holding her down, she took a bottle of holy water out of her pocket and held it above her. Harmony moaned in fear and tried to move.

"Are you going to come with me?" Buffy asked.

Harmony nodded frantically. Anything to not get attacked with holy water. She hated being burned with that stuff so much.

"Good," Buffy smiled. Then she poured some holy water into Harmony's mouth anyway.


	17. Chapter 17: Truth and Harmony

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel belong to their copyright holders, I own nothing.

Chapter 17: Truth and Harmony

The spell was long but, as Giles had reassured her, not very dangerous. Even if it did take a long time to complete, there weren't any immediate signs pointing to dark magic. Kennedy wouldn't call it safe, good magic, but maybe "dark magic" was too harsh a term for what they were doing.

But anyway. They had finished before Faith and Wesley got back from patrolling for Buffy. There was a lot of chanting on Giles's part while Kenney seemed to just be surrounded by a kind of mystical energy. Then came the little sting. It wasn't too painful, not dangerous. But the sting was surely enough for her to notice. It was just in her head, and Giles told her not to panic, it was just the magic making its way inside her brain. Kennedy could tell that was true. After a few minutes she could _feel _the power radiating inside of her, all of the knowledge of the magic. The feeling was…amazing.

When they finished, Kennedy could certainly say she felt different. Not odd or overly weird or powerful, just different.

Giles suggested that she look for a spell. The spell was ancient, almost unheard of, as far as Kennedy was concerned. She racked her brain, though, and in less than a few seconds, she found it and she knew it. Her brain was now like a bookshelf full of hundreds and hundreds of spell books that she could find in an instant.

Of course, also just as Giles had reassured her, she couldn't perform the spell. She just wasn't powerful enough yet. Right now, all she had was the knowledge of the spell, and maybe that was enough.

Faith and Wesley came back, eventually. Kennedy told them what she and Giles had done.

Wesley wasn't sure how to react. From what Kennedy said, it was entirely her choice. Still, Wesley hadn't heard of any spell like that before, and he couldn't wonder if maybe there would later be some kind of repercussions.

In retrospect, Wes was realizing he didn't necessarily agree with _anything _they were doing here. This whole hunting Buffy, using questionable magic, and more act was too much for even him. And he felt guilty thinking that if he could, he would leave. But he couldn't go back home, not yet, and where else was there to go? Even if he didn't agree with Giles on some stuff that didn't mean he had to just get up and leave. Besides, maybe Kennedy could still use his help in some way.

* * *

Harmony's throat felt like it was _on fire. _It burned and hurt and Harmony wanted to complain that it hurt but no words would come up because of the terrible pain. She was crying now because of the pain, almost wishing that Buffy had actually just killed her rather than pour holy water down her throat. Buffy knew what she was doing, though, and she didn't use enough holy water to kill Harmony.

Harmony's wrists were tied together, and her ankles too. She was being carried somewhere, and she didn't really care to see where. Honestly, all she wanted to do was get away from Buffy, this monster.

What was wrong with Buffy? Why was she acting like this? And why was her hair like that?

Being preoccupied with other thoughts of worry, Harmony never took the second to hear that Buffy was missing a heartbeat. Harmony didn't know Buffy was a vampire. Still, Harmony didn't really think that Buffy the Slayer would ever do something like this, because what she'd done to Harmony earlier was like pure torture. So what did Buffy want? There had to be something seriously wrong for her to be acting like this.

Buffy was stronger and faster than most vampires, so it didn't take her too long to carry/drag Harmony all the way to the mansion. Once they arrived, she threw Harmony to the ground.

"Wha…? Wha…?" Harmony tried to speak, but was failing.

Buffy didn't bother trying to decode what Harmony wanted to say.

She ordered two of her minions to pick Harmony up and drag her to where Angel was being kept. Buffy, of course, followed right behind.

* * *

Angel had no idea how long he'd been chained in this room. It could've been hours, it could've been days, and he wouldn't have been surprised either way. The only reason he couldn't keep track was because of all the guilt and stress he was feeling. This whole thing with Buffy… And now he was her prisoner. This was all his fault.

Well, his and Spike's. They'd both been lied to and accepted the lie so easily. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Angel swore that if he ever got out of here, he'd have to take care of Giles. He couldn't kill Giles, obviously, but Angel would make sure they set things straight. Angel wasn't evil, and he needed Giles to see that. Spike wasn't evil either, Angel had to admit. Spike was annoying, but not evil. It was incredibly stupid for Giles to think he needed to protect Buffy, who could've protected herself.

The only thing worse than this confinement was when he was locked in a box at the bottom of the ocean at the hands of his own son. Then, he was trapped for months and could do nothing put think about Connor and what this meant and how everyone was doing without him and were they even looking for him?

This time, all he could think about was Buffy and his mistakes and ways to save her.

She had a soul. At least, that was what she told him and Spike, but who knew if she was really telling the truth? Angel supposed it was possible, but he didn't want to admit that this vampire Buffy had a soul. He needed to believe that there was some way to save her.

The door to the room opened, surprising him. A few lights flickered on, enveloping the room in a dim light.

Two male vampires walked in, each holding the arm of someone else, dragging her between them. Angel immediately recognized the person they were holding as his assistant.

"Harmony," he whispered, shaking his head. _No, no, no, Buffy can't do this! I mean, it's just Harmony, but still, she's been good, one of the best acting vampires without a soul I've ever seen, and despite everything, she doesn't deserve to be hurt. Please, Buffy, no, no, no._

Buffy stepped in front of the two men and Harmony. She kept her eyes on Angel, though.

"Hey, Angel. How you holdin' up?"

"Buffy, please, don't do this," Angel started pleading. He knew it was a mistake. Buffy's malicious grin told him that him begging was exactly what she wanted.

"Do what, Angel? What do you not want me to do, exactly?"

"Harmony hasn't don't anything wrong. She doesn't deserve whatever you're planning."

"She does, though, Angel. I mean, she was _such _a _bitch _as a human, and she's been even worse as a vampire. When I was a human, she kidnapped Dawn and tried to kill me multiple times. She deserves some pain, I think, for her entire life being pretty much a waste."

"No," Harmony managed to mutter.

"Plus," Buffy stepped forward, reached out her hand, grabbed Harmony's hair, and yanked her head back, "she is my competition, after all. For some unfathomable reason, Spike just loves to keep coming back for her."

Angel wanted to throw up in disgust. Buffy couldn't _do _this. He had to keep her talking, had to buy some time or something, because he didn't know what else to do.

"If you dislike her because of Spike, why are you showing me? Why not go show her to him?"

"Well, Spike doesn't really love her. Her pain has a bigger affect on you. Besides," she grinned, "I have a totally different gift for Spike later on."

"Buffy, just let her go."

She wouldn't listen. She let go of Harmony's head and pulled a stake out of her pocket. Like she was playing some sort of sick game, Buffy swung the stake around like it was a wand, picking a place on Harmony's body where she should stab. Angel wasn't sure if he wished she would attack Harmony's heart right away so she didn't have to go through much pain or if he wished Buffy wouldn't kill Harmony at all.

Suddenly, Buffy stabbed the stake into Harmony's chest and she let out a silent scream. Angel managed to keep his mouth shut, to pretend he was remaining calm when deep inside he was burning up.

The stake wasn't to Harmony's heart, but it was close enough to be painful. Buffy pulled the stake out, and Harmony nearly collapsed.

"Stand up straight," Buffy ordered. "Don't make me get the holy water again."

For the first time, Harmony noticed the missing heartbeat. "You're…vampire."

"Good job, Harmony!" Buffy squealed sarcastically. "Now, why did everyone think you were so stupid?"

"If you're gonna kill her just do it," Angel said. "What's the point of this?"

"Oh, I'm not going to kill her, Angel. No, I want her alive. She won't be very useful, but every minion counts. I want her to be mine. It'll take some training, but oh well. This way, Angel, you'll know that because of me a perfectly good vampire was turned evil. Take her away." At her last words, the two guys dragged Harmony out of the room. Buffy turned back towards Angel.

Angel was angry. Obviously, this wasn't what he wanted from Harmony. She didn't deserve to be a slave to Buffy. But what could Angel do? He was chained up.

"Don't try to pretend you don't want to save Harmony right now. Just know that you can't."

"Buffy, go away. I like being in here alone better than conversing with you."

"Fine, fine," Buffy smiled. "Just know I'll be back Angel. For you, I always will be." She turned and left the room.

* * *

Dawn knew.

Okay, so she didn't know for sure, but she had her suspicions. She, Willow, Xander, and Oz had obviously heard about both the disappearances of Rona and Vi that everyone else knew of. And now, the other Slayers were catching on to the fact that Buffy was missing as well. If the Slayers hadn't started connecting the dots already, they would soon.

Dawn admitted that she was tired of this. They needed to save Buffy. Yet, so far, they hadn't taken any steps to get further to their goal. Instead, they'd been ignoring phone calls from the other Slayers and wondering what they could do about this whole situation. This was pissing Dawn off.

If the Slayers knew about Buffy, they'd want to kill her, no doubt. But Dawn knew that the Slayers would be no match for Buffy. And once the Slayers were too busy searching for Buffy and not trying to talk to Willow to know what was going on, they could get back to their goal of saving Buffy, or so Dawn hoped. So Dawn decided to take matters into her own hands.

She snuck into the bathroom with the phone. There was a Slayer by the name of Jessica. All Dawn had to do was make one simple call and the news would spread.

The phone was ringing.

"Hello?" Jessica picked up.

"Buffy's dead," Dawn stated sternly, not wasting any time.

"Excuse me?"

"Buffy's a vampire. She kidnapped or killed Rona and Vi, I don't know. But Buffy is evil. Spread the word. You have to."

Then she hung up. She felt good. She'd taken matters into her own hands. She'd helped. Hopefully the others would see it that way.

With that said and done, the Slayer Jessica definitely didn't waste any time. She told the Slayers around her what just happened, and then called other Slayers around the world to spread the word. Buffy was dead, a vampire. Rona and Vi were gone, possibly dead.

The Slayers were frightened. But that didn't matter. They were also determined. And with this being the biggest issue they'd ever had, they were prepared to search for Buffy and kill her before she did any more damage.


End file.
